Max's Adventures
by applepals
Summary: Max reached his tenth birthday! After choosing his first Pokémon and meeting a young coordinator named Grace, Max travels through the Pokémon World to fulfill his dream of becoming a Pokémon trainer. Read this story and you will not regret it!
1. Hoenn: Chapter 1

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

 **Background:** This is a story about Max (May's little brother) on his own journey through Hoenn. I am trying to keep everything as close to the anime as possible. The only thing against the timeline of the anime is that this is supposed to take place around the time of Ash's journeys in Kalos. Expect guest appearances by Misty, Tracey, Brock, May, Dawn, Prof. Oak, Prof. Juniper, and even Cilan and Iris. I hope you enjoy it!

The alarm rang loud on Max's bedside. Its not like it woke him. He was up for hours. Max was finally ten! He looked almost exactly the same as when he was travelling with his sister, but he was much taller and slimmer. Max quickly changed and ran downstairs to greet his parents.

"Max, I can't believe you are so big now! It's the _second_ journey you are going on! I am so excited to see what Pokémon you capture!" Caroline screamed.

"I am going to escort you to Birch's lab. After we get there, I am coming back here. You will be all on your own. May isn't going to be there to take care of you this time…" Norman said.

After a tearful goodbye to his mother, Max and Norman made their way to Littleroot Town. In front of the lab, Norman said goodbye to his son and walked away. Max took in a deep breath and walked in. He immediately saw Birch along with Prof. Oak and a woman he did not recognize all poured over some graphs and charts. Birch glanced up and saw Max. Upon seeing him, Birch gasped and ran over.

"Max! I completely forgot you were coming!" he said, "I must get the Pokémon for you and the other trainer who is coming. I hope you put some thought into which you are going to choose!" Birch said with a wink.

"I sure have, Professor!" Max said through a wide grin. Birch ran off to the back of the laboratory and Max approached Oak.

"Prof. Oak, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Oak looked at the boy with a smile.

"I am here with Prof. Juniper because we are looking into why sightings of Kyogre and Groudon have skyrocketed here in Hoenn. Wait… you are May's little brother, aren't you! You know, I take care of your sister's Pokémon at my lab!"

After saying that, the professors and Max noticed a tall, dark-haired boy* enter. Birch's assistant ran to him and the two started talking.

"You know Max, Birch is going to give you the Hoenn Pokédex today, but because I know you, I will give you my newest, most up-to-date Pokédex: The National Pokédex." Oak said.

"Really? Thank you so much!" Max said.

"Don't mention it! Let me just go get it programmed and I will give it to you."

Oak went away and Prof. Juniper turned to Max.

"Hi, I am Juniper from the Unova region!" she said.

Max and Juniper had a long, intelligent conversation when the other boy interrupted.

"Hey, are you the other trainer?" he asked Max. He seemed uncaring, almost forcing the question.

"Yeah! I am Max!" he put out his hand for a handshake. The other boy ignored the gesture.

"Colby is the name," he said. He seemed to have drifted off and just turned away. Oak and Birch returned.

Colby and Max received their Pokédexes. Max's looked much more high-tech than Colby's but Colby seemed not to notice.

"Okay, now you both get to pick your first Pokémon!" Birch said.

Oak and Juniper watched from the nearby table as the trainers looked into a suitcase containing three Pokéballs. Each had a label below the ball saying the name of the Pokémon inside. Colby quickly snatched up Mudkip while Max excitedly grabbed Treecko.

Colby disappeared minutes after but Max decided to stay for a while. His happiness was unbelievable. He couldn't wait to meet his new Treecko. As Max started to walk towards the door, a brown-haired girl in a white-and-blue uniform* entered and approached Birch. Max stayed to see what she wanted.

"Hi Prof. Birch! Prof. Elm said that he informed you I was coming… I'm Grace." She said politely.

"Yes, yes! You are coming all the way from Johto, aren't you? Okay, so you need me to swap your Johto Pokédex to a Hoenn one, right?" Birch asked.

"Yes, sir!" she exclaimed. Birch quickly made a transfer and handed her a black Pokédex, as opposed to Max's white National Pokédex and Colby's white Hoenn one. Grace soon left, and Max followed.

Max went outside and braced himself. "Treecko… I choose you!"

A small Treecko came out and greeted him. He had never been happier in his life.

The next five days were a blur. Max just spent time with his Treecko and travelled all the way to Rustboro City. He was ready to battle Roxanne!

After challenging the leader, Max was told the rules by the ref and started his single-Pokémon battle against Roxanne.

"Nosepass, I choose you!" Roxanne sang.

"Treecko lets go!" Max yelled.

Treecko and Nosepass stared each other down on the battlefield.

"Nosepass, use zap cannon!"

The zap cannon missed Treecko by less than an inch. Treecko leaped with much grace onto a nearby rock. The explosion from the zap cannon made lots of dust rise.

"Treecko, pound!" Max yelled.

The pound hit Nosepass to the ground. The Pokémon quickly got to its feet and used a very powerful sandstorm attack. Treecko flew backwards and hit a boulder.

"Nosepass, let's finish this! Sandstorm once more!" Roxanne said.

"Don't let her do it! Use your disable!" Max yelled.

Suddenly, even though Nosepass tried to use sandstorm, it simply didn't work.

"Treecko, use energy ball!" said Max.

The energy ball hit hard on Nosepass, but it returned the favor with a strong rock tomb, knocking Treecko out. Max rushed to the Pokémon Center. As he waited for Treecko to be healed, he saw Colby again.

"Hey Colby! Why are you here at the Pokémon Center? Did Roxanne beat you, too?" he asked. Colby snickered and showed Max the badge Roxanne gave him.

"She didn't have a chance! My three Pokémon are all much stronger than she will ever be!" Colby said.

"It's only been five days! How do you have so many Pokémon? And how are they so strong?" Max asked. Colby chuckled.

"Well, I trained them very hard," he said, sending out his Mudkip, Gible, and Ursaring, "After getting Mudkip, I went back home. My dad just took a trip to Sinnoh and he caught that Gible and gave it to me. In the Petalburg Woods there were all those weak Shroomish and Wurmple, but I wanted something bigger. So after lots and lots of training, I was able to get this Ursaring… Look at the time. I've got to go. The next gym is waiting."

Max frowned. During the five days since he got Treecko, he had not trained at all! He just played with him and didn't even consider catching another Pokémon. Now he knew what to do. He had to catch a few more Pokémon.

After Treecko was healed, Max headed to the Petalburg Woods. He saw plenty of Shroomish and Wurmple, but he did not want to catch any of _those_. Finally, he saw a small Hoppip. It only took two pound attacks to bring it down, and Max quickly caught it. He then found a very large group of Pineco. After locating the largest one, Max decided to battle it. Treecko used energy ball, but the Pineco dodged. Pineco then used takedown. Treecko used pound, which was returned with Pineco's counter. Pineco then self-destructed, but Treecko evaded the attack. Max caught the fainted Pineco.

His battle with Roxanne would be the next morning.

Max could hardly sleep. The room in the Pokémon Center was very comfortable, but he was much too excited to show off his new Hoppip and Pineco. The next morning, he picked up his Pokémon from Nurse Joy and ran to the gym. The referee, again, read the rules, but this time it would be a three-on-three battle. Roxanne's first Pokémon was Geodude and Max chose Hoppip.

"Geodude, use tackle!" she commanded.

"Hoppip, use splash to dodge it!" Max said.

Geodude missed Hoppip. Geodude used sand tomb, which hit Hoppip with full power. The small Pokémon fell on the ground and struggled back into the air. Max commanded that Hoppip use tackle, and it did. Geodude was hardly affected. Then, Hoppip used bide and hurt Geodude. Geodude used focus punch and ended the match, defeating Hoppip.

"Okay, Pineco, it is up to you!" Max said, throwing the Pokéball. Pineco emerged and started jumping and vocalizing.

Geodude flew at Pineco with a powerful tackle, and Pineco used counter, returning the damage to Geodude. Max commanded Pineco to use takedown, which sent Geodude flying.

"Geodude is unable to battle. This match goes to Max and his Pineco. The leader Roxanne can now choose her second Pokémon," the ref said.

"Gladly," she responded, "Okay, Graveler, lets win this!"

Graveler started with a rollout, which Pineco countered. Graveler fell to the ground, and Pineco started jumping up and down happily.

"Pineco, use your toxic and poison Graveler!" Max yelled.

Pineco's eyes started glowing purple, and bright beams of purple shot out at it, causing purple static to form all around the Rock-type. Graveler was poisoned. Roxanne laughed and threw a Pecha berry into the ring, which Graveler gratefully ate, curing the status condition. Pineco realized that there wasn't a chance she could win against such a powerful Pokémon. When Graveler used tackle, Pineco self-destructed, knocking them both out. Each could now only use one Pokémon.

"Okay, Nosepass, lets get this over with!"

"Treecko lets go!"

Treecko looked angry. He was to face off against Nosepass once again, and he may or may not lose.

"Nosepass, zap cannon!" she screamed.

The Rock-type sent electricity at Treecko. Treecko took a lot of damage, but used disable to ensure Nosepass could not use that move again. Nosepass used rock tomb. Treecko fainted.

"The match goes to gym leader Rox…" Treecko interrupted the ref. He was evolving.

Treecko evolved into Grovyle, and Max cheered.

"My very own Grovyle! I can't believe it!" Max chanted.

"Don't think this changes anything. Nosepass has been battling with me for years. Your Grovyle has been with you for… what? Like a week?" Roxanne said back.

Max opened his Pokédex.

"Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokémon, and the evolved form of Treecko. This Pokémon adeptly flies from branch to branch in trees. In a forest, no Pokémon can ever hope to catch a fleeing Grovyle, however fast they may be." The voice said. The Pokédex also showed that Grovyle learned a few new moves upon its evolution.

"Okay Grovyle, lets use a pound attack!" Max yelled.

Grovyle's extremely strong pound hit Nosepass and sent it flying. Nosepass used rock throw, but Grovyle destroyed the rocks with a powerful leaf blade attack.

"Grovyle, now use your dragon claw!" Max yelled.

Grovyle's leaves on his arms started glowing bright purple and he slashed Nosepass with them. Nosepass immediately fainted.

"Nosepass is unable to battle. This match goes to Max and his Grovyle!" the referee said. Max hugged Grovyle. He couldn't believe he was getting his first badge ever!

Roxanne walked up to him.

"Max, you are a great trainer, and you have an awesome Grovyle there," she said, "So it is my honor to give you an official Hoenn badge case and the Rustboro City Stone Badge!"

Max took the gifts and cheered happily. After leaving, he noticed that there was a Pokémon contest in town. He decided that, after his Pokémon were healed, he would go and watch it.

An hour later, Max arrived at the Contest Hall just in time for the first round. After a few dazzling performances, Max saw Grace, the girl from when he was getting his Pokédex.

"Okay, Bayleef, the curtain's up!" she said, throwing a Pokéball into the air. A large Bayleef came out and landed with a little stumble. It used a combination of petal dance and razor leaf to make a beautiful display. Suddenly, one of Bayleef's own razor leaves hit him in the side, knocking him over. The judges gave a horrible score, and Grace didn't even make it to the second round.

The next performer was a blonde girl* named Cierra. Cierra's Bulbasaur got a perfect score from the judges. Cierra ended up winning the entire competition. After the contest, Max went to a local restaurant and saw Grace sitting at a table alone.

"Hello! I saw you perform!" he said to her.

"Oh no… I did so terribly! I am a horrible coordinator!" she cried. Max sat with her.

Max discussed how his sister was a coordinator. Apparently, Grace knew who May was. Grace told Max how she is originally from Cherrygrove City in Johto. She travelled Johto as a coordinator, and met Cierra, a coordinator _and_ trainer from Celadon City in Kanto. In the end, Grace only got three ribbons and couldn't go to the Grand Festival in Johto. Grace then spent her time on her great-grandpa's Pokémon Day Care in Eggseter. Meanwhile, Cierra had earned all eight badges and five ribbons. Grace placed top-4 in the Silver Conference and top-8 in the Grand Festival. Only months before, Cierra had placed top-4 in the Indigo Conference and runner-up in the Kanto Grand Festival! After finding out that Cierra was going to Hoenn, Grace left all her Pokémon except Bayleef with her great-grandpa and rushed over. Since getting here, she caught a very inexperienced Wurmple.

"Can I see your Wurmple? My sister had a Wurmple, and now that it is a Beautifly it is one of her favorites to use in contests!" Max said.

Grace sent out the Wurmple. It sparkled upon its release from the ball. Instead of the usual red color of a Wurmple, it was purple!

"Grace, I think that your Wurmple is shiny!" Max said.

"What? I just randomly caught it! Because we don't have Wurmple in Johto I didn't really know what it was supposed to look like." Grace said excitedly. Max pulled out is Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon. The Pokédex said it was definitely a shiny Pokémon.

"Wurmple, the Worm Pokémon. Using the spikes on its rear end, Wurmple peels the bark off trees and feeds on the sap that oozes out. This Pokémon's feet are tipped with suction pads that allow it to cling to glass without slipping."

"Wow! I have a shiny Pokémon! This will do great with the judges!" Grace said.

"You know, I am travelling to get all the Hoenn gym badges… do you want to come with me?" Max asked.

"Yes! Because you are so smart with Pokémon you could be a real help to me!" she said happily.

Max and Grace ate their food and then went on their way to get Max's next badge!

 ***** Colby is supposed to look like an Ace Trainer from HeartGold and SoulSilver.

 ***** Grace is supposed to look like a Lass from FireRed and LeafGreen.

*Cierra is supposed to look like a Lady (Trainer Class) from X and Y.


	2. Hoenn: Chapter 2

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 2: The Legends of Dewford**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max looked out onto the open seas. Large Seaking and Luvdisc leaped out of the water beside the boat. Grace scanned them with her Pokédex.

"Seaking, the Goldfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Goldeen. It punches holes in boulders on streambeds. This is a clever innovation that prevents its eggs from being attacked or washed away by the current."

"Luvdisc, the Rendezvous Pokémon. Luvdisc live in shallow seas in the tropics. This heart-shaped Pokémon earned its name by swimming after loving couples it spotted in the ocean's waves."

"Wow, Seaking and Luvdisc are awesome Pokémon! One day I want to catch one!" Grace said. Max nodded.

The ferry they were on was going to Dewford Island so Max could get his Knuckle Badge and Grace could participate in the Dewford Town contest.

The ferry soon docked on the shore.

"Grace, how about we practice? Let's battle!" Max said.

Grace agreed, and they found an empty beach. Grace sent out Wurmple and Max sent out Grovyle. Grovyle sent Wurmple flying with many, many leaf blade attacks. Wurmple's bug bite attack did minimal damage.

"Grovyle, use pound!" he commanded. Just as the attack landed, Wurmple started glowing, and evolved. Because she is shiny, they couldn't tell if she was a Silcoon or Cascoon. She was just green!

"Ummm… what is it?" Grace asked.

Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Cascoon, the Cocoon Pokémon. To avoid detection by its enemies, it hides motionlessly beneath large leaves and in the gaps of branches. It also attaches dead leaves to its body for camouflage."

"You got a Cascoon! It is going to evolve into a Dustox!" Max said.

Grace smiled. She had seen a Dustox perform in a contest in Johto, and that was why she decided to catch a Wurmple in the first place.

"Well, lets continue the match!" Grace said. She looked at her Pokédex to find out what moves her new Cascoon knew.

Grovyle used leaf blade, but the force of the attack was sent back because Cascoon used harden. Cascoon hardened once again and finished Grovyle off with a tackle attack. As they started towards a Pokémon Center to heal Grovyle, when they ran into Prof. Birch and Prof. Juniper.

"Prof. Birch? What are you doing here?" Grace asked.

"There has been a sighting of Kyogre off these shores, but more importantly, there have been sightings of mysterious Pokémon inside the Granite Cave." Birch said.

"Can we assist you two in finding the mysterious Pokémon?" Max asked.

"Yes, as long as you are very careful. These Pokémon have a reputation of attacking." Juniper said.

The two excitedly cheered and followed the professors. Within the hour, they reached the cave. At the entrance of the cave, they saw a familiar face: Cierra.

"Cierra, what are you doing here?" Grace asked, angry.

"I am here training. What are you doing here, loser?" Cierra asked.

"We are investigating reports of rare Pokémon here. Would you like to help?" Juniper asked.

"Rare Pokémon? Yes! Maybe I can use them to beat Grace for the hundredth time!" Cierra said.

"You have only beaten me six times, Cierra!" Grace pointed out.

"Funny how you kept track." Cierra snickered. Grace snarled back at her.

They all entered the cave. It was extremely dark. Birch pulled out a flashlight.

"There is no need for a flashlight, professor! Okay, Butterfree, come out and use flash!" Cierra said as she sent out a beautiful Butterfree. Its red eyes let out a pulse of energy, which illuminated the entire room, revealing cave paintings and beautiful rock formations. Grace frowned.

The group made their way through the cave. Juniper collected a few rare stones, including a 'helix fossil,' 'Audinite,' and a 'nugget.' Max admired the beautiful rock formations. Suddenly, a booming voice filled the cave.

"Who is there?" it shouted. Max immediately recognized it.

Colby and his Mudkip ran up to the group. Max chuckled at the fact that Mudkip had not evolved.

"What are you all doing here?" Colby asked.

"Looking for some Pokémon. Who are you?" Cierra asked.

"Colby." He said, not bothering to ask for Cierra's name. Colby then simply walked away.

"Why is that kid so rude?" Max asked.

"Some trainers are like that. They only seek personal gain, not caring about their Pokémon or anything else." Birch said with a sigh.

"Colby! I challenge you to a battle!" Max yelled after Colby.

Colby turned his head halfway. He accepted.

Colby let Mudkip start the battle off. Max sent out Pineco.

"Okay, Mudkip, use water gun!" he yelled.

The water gun hit Pineco hard, but she didn't move.

"Pineco, use pin missile!" Max yelled.

The white needles hit Mudkip hard.

"Mudkip, attract!" he said.

A pink heart hit Pineco and made her fall in love with Mudkip.

"My Mudkip is male, and your Pineco is female. She is not going to be battling anytime soon!" Colby laughed.

Pineco started running towards Mudkip. Mudkip used a powerful mud shot, knocking Pineco over. Pineco snapped out of it. Pineco used takedown on the Mudkip. Then, Pineco started glowing. She evolved into Forretress!

Amazed, Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Forretress, the Bagworm Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pineco. Its entire body is shielded by a steel-hard shell. What lurks inside the armor is a total mystery."

"Okay, Forretress, use giga drain!" Max commanded.

Forretress weakened Mudkip with a giga drain, but Mudkip knocked the newly evolved Pokémon out with a powerful sludge wave. Just as Forretress was returned, a powerful hyperbeam hit Mudkip and made him faint. The whole group turned and saw the Legendary Golems: Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.

"These must be the Pokémon that people have been talking about!" Juniper screamed.

"And they look mad!" Grace yelled.

"I'll take care of this!" Cierra yelled. She sent out her Bulbasaur, Venomoth, and Chimchar. Juniper sent out a Herdier.

Max took out his Pokédex.

"Chimchar, the Chimp Pokémon.It agilely scales sheer cliffs to live atop craggy mountains. Its fire is put out when it sleeps."

"Venomoth, the Poison Moth Pokémon, and the evolved form of Venonat. The powdery scales on its wings are hard to remove. They also contain poison that leaks out on contact."

"Herdier, the Loyal Dog Pokémon, and the evolved form of Lillipup. It loyally follows its Trainer's orders. For ages, they have helped Trainers raise Pokémon."

"Regirock, the Rock Peak Pokémon. It is entirely composed of rocks with no sign of a brain or heart. It is a mystery even to modern scientists."

"Regice, the Iceberg Pokémon. It is said to have slept in a glacier for thousands of years. Its body can't be melted, even by magma."

"Registeel, the Iron Pokémon. Tempered by pressure underground over tens of thousands of years, its body cannot be scratched."

Grace got angry upon seeing Cierra's Pokémon. She sent out Cascoon.

The Pokémon all raged. The Golems were much stronger than all of the Pokémon combined.

"Prof. Birch, I think we should leave!" Max yelled over the loud sound of Registeel's metal sound attack. The professor agreed and the group returned their Pokémon and ran away. Registeel blocked their way out, and Grace sent out her Cascoon once again.

Registeel used headbutt on the Pokémon, sending her flying into Grace's arms. Cascoon started glowing, and suddenly evolved into a Dustox!

"Yay! Now I have my very own Dustox!" Grace cheered. She activated her Pokédex to find out what moves she gained.

"Dustox, the Poison Moth Pokémon, and the evolved form of Cascoon. Toxic powder is scattered with each flap. At night, it is known to strip leaves off trees lining boulevards.

"Okay, Dustox, we need to get out of here! Use confusion on Registeel!"

Dustox's confusion sent Registeel flying, and everyone got out of the cave safely. Colby simply walked away. Soon, Juniper and Birch were off again, and Cierra said she needed to go get her Knuckle Badge and register for the Dewford contest.

The day after the whole ordeal, Grace registered for the Dewford contest while Max got ready for his battle against Brawly. They both went fishing, and Max caught something! Max captured a very powerful Tentacool (but not the Milotic he wanted). Grace was hoping for either a Seaking or a Luvdisc, but only caught Magikarp, all of which she threw back.

Later in the day, the Dewford contest began. In the first round, Grace and Dustox performed. Dustox came out with a sparkle and used poison sting. The attack was then shattered into dust by a powerful gust attack and then made it all glow with a confusion, earning her a close-to-perfect score. She got 9.7 by Nurse Joy, 8.9 by Mr. Contesta, and 9.0 by the Mayor of Dewford. They all seemed impressed by the shiny Pokémon.

Cierra's performance was dazzling. Her Chimchar used firespin and ember to make the arena look like a beautiful volcano. This earned her an 8.9 by Nurse Joy, a 10.0 by Mr. Contesta, and a 9.8 by the Mayor.

The second round was a success, and so was the third. Before she knew it, Grace was in the finals against Cierra. It was a battle, and they had to make it pretty.

"Okay, Venomoth, its your time to shine!" Cierra yelled.

"Dustox, show her who's boss!" Grace screamed. The two Bug-types stared at each other.

Venomoth started things off with a powerful and beautiful silver wind. Dustox gracefully dodged, making Cierra lose points. Dustox used confusion, making Cierra lose even more points. Venomoth then used supersonic, and Dustox fell to the ground. Cierra finished Dustox with a giga impact, making Grace lose all her points and Dustox faint. Cierra won her second Hoenn ribbon.

That evening, Grace cried.

"I will never be as good as Cierra!" she screamed.

"Her Venomoth just has more experience than Dustox! Once you train her a bit more, I'm sure she will be just as good or even better than Cierra's Pokémon." Max said.

Grace was unconvinced. Max realized something.

"Cierra is getting both badges and ribbons, right?" he asked. Grace nodded in response, "Well, then that means that she is both your rival _and_ mine. So lets make a pact. You need to beat Cierra in the Grand Festival and I will beat her in the Ever Grande Conference! Deal?"

Grace smiled and grabbed Max's hand, "Deal!"

Grace and Max pulled out a map.

"Well, after I get my Knuckle Badge, I need to battle the gym leader Wattson. He is in Mauville City. There is a contest in Mauville every month, so if we go there before I battle Wattson, we should be there just in time. Also, Cierra said she is going to take a break from contests and just focus on getting her next two badges." Max said.

"That means I might have a chance at winning the Mauville contest!" Grace cheered.  
"But first, I need to get my Knuckle Badge from Brawly."


	3. Hoenn: Chapter 3

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 3: A Surprise from a Friend**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

The referee read the rules of the match to Max and Brawly. It was to be a one-on-one battle.

"Okay, Hoppip, go!" Max said. The small Pokémon looked around and started cheering.

"Machop, go!" Brawly said.

Hoppip got started with a tackle that barely hurt Machop. Machop used a karate chop, sending Hoppip across the battlefield. Hoppip started using bide. Machop used seismic toss. With the energy from the seismic toss and karate chop it endured, Hoppip used bide, defeating Machop.

"Max, your Hoppip is quite impressive," Brawly said, "I give you, the Knuckle Badge!"

Max cheered and hugged his little Hoppip. Grace ran up to him and high-fived him. They could now focus on getting to Mauville.

The next four days were all about travel. Grace and Max went from the Petalburg Woods to Rustboro, then through the Rusturf Tunnel and to Verdanturf Town. From there, they got onto Route 117.

As they made their way through Route 117, an old lady stopped the pair.

"Are you… Max and Grace?" she asked.

"Yes. Do we know you?" Grace asked.

"Well, not really. I run the Route 117 Pokémon Day Care. Prof. Juniper sent a rare egg from the Unova region to me, and told me to give it to you two for being such a big help to her." The woman said.

The kids followed the woman back to the Day Care, and Grace told the woman about her great-grandpa's Day Care in Johto. They made it to the 'egg house' and the woman handed them a beautiful egg. It was pink with a floral pattern. Max knew it must be rare, as the Unova region has Pokémon not seen anywhere else. He didn't even recognize Juniper's Herdier!

"Well, which one of us gets to train it?" Max asked.

"That is for you to decide." The woman stated.

"Well, you have more Pokémon than me, so I get it!" Grace said.

"That may be so, but you have had Pokémon for longer than me!" Max said back.

"Kids, kids. Stop arguing! How about you have a battle for the egg?" the Day Care lady asked.

The kids went out to a nearby field. The Day Care lady's husband was to judge the match.

"This is a one-on-one match between Max and Grace! Whoever wins will get to keep the egg sent by Prof. Juniper of the Unova region. Max gets the first attack! Go!" the Day Care man said.

"I choose Grovyle!" Max said.

"Okay, Bayleef, go!" Grace yelled.

The two Grass-types were ready to battle. Grovyle started things off with a powerful dragon claw. Bayleef was badly damaged. Next, Grovyle used leaf storm, almost knocking him out. Bayleef used the little strength it had to use body slam. As Bayleef lay on top of Grovyle, he started to evolve. Soon, Bayleef became Meganium. The sheer weight of Meganium knocked Grovyle out.

"The egg from the Unova region goes to Grace!"

Grace hugged Meganium and cheered. She soon took the egg, and she and Max were off.

"I wonder what it is! I haven't seen very many Pokémon from Unova… Mainly just that Herdier and maybe the starters…" Grace jabbered.

Max was angry that he didn't win the egg. He was even angrier that he kept on losing to Grace in every battle they fought!

They reached Mauville after a few hours, and Grace registered for the Mauville contest, which was being held the next morning. Max had to prepare for his gym battle against Wattson in a couple of days.

That night at midnight, Dustox woke Grace. The egg was hatching!

"Max! Max! My egg is hatching!" she screamed. The cutest Pokémon she had ever seen was formed and Grace started to cry with joy.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I don't know," Max said, "let me check the Pokédex…"

"Munna, the Dream Eater Pokémon. It eats the dreams of people and Pokémon. When it eats a pleasant dream, it expels pink-colored mist."

"Munna… even your name is adorable! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" Grace yelled. She embraced the new Pokémon and introduced her to Dustox and Meganium.

They went back to sleep, and the morning came quickly. Munna was captured in a Pokéball, and Grace got Dustox and Meganium ready for the contest.

The appeals round began, and the coordinators were pretty good. Many of them used Fire-types, Ground-types, and Electric-types because of the surrounding landscapes. Grace knew she had an advantage with her Grass, Bug, and Poison-type moves. It was Grace's turn. Max cheered from the audience.

"Okay, Meganium, lets go!" she said.

Meganium landed perfectly and used a combination of razor leaf and petal dance to make a beautiful twister of color. This was the technique he failed at before. This earned her a 10.0 from Nurse Joy, a 9.7 from Mr. Contesta, and a 9.2 from the guest judge, Ribbon Cup winner Dr. Abbey.

Grace easily passed the next few rounds with Meganium, and when the last round came, she decided to use Dustox against a trainer named Julia. Julia used a Shedinja.

Shedinja's spiraled shadow balls missed Dustox by a mile. Dustox used toxic followed by a beautiful rainbow-colored poison sting. By the end of the match, Dustox lost no points and Shedinja lost.

"The Mauville Ribbon goes to Grace!" Mr. Contesta announced. Grace jumped up and down and hugged her Pokémon. She admired the beautiful bright-yellow ribbon.

Max congratulated her. As they walked out, a man handed them a flyer for the 'Johto Comes to Hoenn!' competition, aka the Johto Festival. The competition would include a tournament for one of the Johto starters and a Pokémon contest for a 'Johto-Hoenn Interregional Ribbon.' When Grace saw the picture of the ribbon, she fell in love. The metal center was rose gold and the actual ribbon part was a creamy white.

"I need to go to this," she yelled, "when and where is it?"

"It is in Lavaridge Town… next week. I want to go, too! I would love a Johto starter!" Max replied.

A few days later, Max battled Wattson's Manetric with his Grovyle. Grovyle easily overpowered the Electric-type, earning him the Dynamo Badge.

Grace and Max had only three days to get to the Johto Festival. They made it to Mt. Chimney and set up camp. That's when they heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, you two," said Colby, "On your way to the Johto Festival? I'm going to compete and win a Cyndaquil. Of course, I don't need a Fire-type really. I already caught one that's got a pretty neat iron shell!"

Colby then stumbled away without letting the two talk at all. Max got up.

"He caught a Torkoal! I'm going to get one, too!" he declared.

After much searching, all Max found was a Slugma, which he captured.

After reaching Lavaridge, Max signed up for the tournament and Grace signed up for the contest. Grace had been training Munna really hard to be a good contest Pokémon.

Now, Max just had to defeat Colby and win himself a Totodile.


	4. Hoenn: Chapter 4

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 4: Grace Goes Home!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

"Johto comes to Hoenn in this spectacular festival! Thirty-two people have signed up for the tournament to win a Johto starter Pokémon, and sixty-four have signed up to win the Johto-Hoenn Interregional Ribbon! This festival is being held to strengthen relationships between our two spectacular regions! I, Wallace, Hoenn Pokémon Champion, announce this festival open!"

Grace and Max cheered as Wallace opened the gates to the festival. It was very, very large. The Johto-themed carnival surrounded the crown jewel, the Lavaridge Contest Hall. The Lavaridge Hall was completely redone for the event. It was completely refurbished and painted a beautiful deep blue.

"The Contest Hall looks exactly how the ones in Johto look…" Grace said. This seemed to sadden her.

The tournament would be held in two small arenas within the carnival. Max's first battle was to be fought against a trainer named Reyna, and Grace's contest was to start around the same time as the battle.

"This festival is just like really being in Johto!" Grace yelled, "The food is the same, the architecture is the same, and even many of the Pokémon are the same!"

Grace munched on a salad made from Cianwood seaweed and drank some Miltank milk from the world-famous MooMoo Farms on Route 39! Max had some 'Octillery treats' from the Whirl Islands and an apple from the orchards near Ecruteak. Max's alarm went off, signaling it was almost time for his battle and Grace's contest.

"Grace, its time to go… good luck!" Max said.

"You too!" Grace said. They both went their separate ways.

Max entered the small arena and showed his trainer ID Card. He was then escorted to the battlefield, where he met with Reyna. They went to opposite sides of the battlefield and readied themselves.

"I, the referee, will judge the match," the ref said, "I will use a random software to determine the number of Pokémon each of you must use. The number could be anything from one to six."

The ref tapped on a tablet and the results were shown on a large monitor.

"This will be a two-on-two battle. Reyna has the first move. Begin!" he said.

"Okay, Yanmega, go!" Reyna said, flipping her black hair to the side.

"Go, Slugma!" Max said.

Max didn't know much about Yanmega, so he pulled out his Pokédex.

"Yanmega, the Ogre Darner Pokémon, and the evolved form of Yanma. The beat of its wings is so powerful that it accidentally dislodges full-grown trees when it takes off in flight."

"Okay, Yanmega, use supersonic!" she screamed.

"Harden!" Max said.

The powerful sound waves ricocheted off of Slugma's hardened body and back at Yanmega, confusing it.

Yanmega's flight became choppy and it nearly fell to the ground. It suddenly snapped out of its confusion and went high into the air.

"Okay, Yanmega, air slash attack!"

"Slugma, use harden once more!"

The air slash barely hurt Slugma, as its body was too hard to injure.

"Slugma, flamethrower!" Max commanded.

Yanmega used detect and skillfully dodged the attack.

"Yanmega, use quick attack!"

The Bug-type's attack badly hurt the inexperienced Slugma. Slugma's hot body burned Yanmega.

"Slugma, use recover!" Max said.

Slugma started glowing bright orange and recovered its energy. The effects of burn kicked in and knocked Yanmega out.

"Yanmega is unable to battle. Reyna is now allowed to use her second Pokémon!" the ref called.

"Arbok, go!" she yelled.

Arbok's intimidate made Slugma back away from the Cobra Pokémon. It also cut Slugma's attack power.

"Poison-types have no special advantage over my Slugma!" Max laughed.

"Well I've got another trick up my sleeve," she said, "Arbok, aqua tail right now!"

Arbok's tail turned bright blue and it slammed down on the ground. A large wave of water shot from its tail and hit Slugma hard, knocking it out.

"Slugma is unable to battle! Max is now allowed to use his second Pokémon!" the ref said.

Max cringed. Then, he realized that his Tentacool would be able to withstand Poison-type attacks and Water-type attacks!

"Tentacool, I choose you!" Max said.

Tentacool looked around the battlefield. Arbok's intimidate didn't effect it, because it was uncaring of what was happening.

"Arbok, use ice fang!" she said.

Arbok bit Tentacool's tentacle and it froze. Tentacool still seemed uncaring.

"Tentacool, use hydro pump!"

Tentacool's central red-spot started to glow blue and shot a huge amount of water at Arbok. Arbok flew across the field.

"Arbok, use thunder fang!" she said.

"Tentacool, dodge and use hydro pump once more!" Max said.

Tentacool coolly dodged the attack and knocked Arbok out with a hydro pump attack.

"Arbok is unable to battle! This match goes to Max! He will be moving on to the second round!"

Max was given a time and place for his second match: in one hour at the same arena.

Grace sat in the contest waiting room with her Dustox.

"Okay, Dustox, this is a big contest. I really need a second ribbon, and Cierra isn't here to beat us. I just need you to try your best. The Johto-Hoenn Interregional Ribbon is a big honor, and it's just so pretty! Can you do this for me?" she asked. Dustox nodded.

Grace looked at the judges; there were five this time. Silver Town (in Johto)'s Nurse Joy, the Lavaridge Nurse Joy, Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and May, the runner-up of the Johto Grand Festival. Grace had seen May perform many times, and she knew May was from Hoenn. But, she knew there was another relation to her that she couldn't quite put her finger on…

"Pokémon Coordinator Grace, please report to the stage. Grace, please report to the stage." The loud speaker went off.

Grace returned Dustox and walked calmly into the ring. May did not recognize her.

"Dustox, take to the sky!" Grace suddenly yelled. Dustox, wearing bright-red bows on her antennae, flew high up to the air.

"Poisonpowder! Then use confusion!" Grace sang.

Poisonpowder shot from Dustox's wings, making a beautiful sphere of purple around the Pokémon. Then, she used confusion to make a poisonpowder tornado around her trainer. Contesta gave her a 9.8, Sukizo gave her a 9.3, Nurse Joy from Johto gave her a 8.4, Nurse Joy from Hoenn gave her a 9.7, and May gave her a 9.9.

Grace advanced to the next round with ease. The battle round was intense. She had seen amazing trainers attack. Her battle was against a girl named Unna. After defeating Unna with her Dustox, she was in the finals with a woman named Florence.

Max's second battle was against a man called Mercury. It was an intense three-on-three. Mercury used a Hitmonchan against Max's Forretress (which ultimately decided to use self-destruct instead of continuing the battle), a Hitmonlee against his Tentacool, and a Hitmontop against his Grovyle. Even though Max ended up winning, all three of the Pokémon he used were extremely weak, so he was forced to give them to Nurse Joy, leaving him only with Hoppip, as Slugma was given to Joy a while before.

Max felt defeated. He only had one Pokémon, and there was a very slim chance that he would be called for a one-on-one. Also, Hoppip wasn't the strongest Pokémon by any means, so it was going to be a struggle using Hoppip in two battles!

Max walked across the carnival to the other arena, where he was to battle a trainer named Leo. The referee informed Max that it was to be a two-on-two battle. Max cringed. He only had Hoppip!

"Okay, go, Roselia!" Leo yelled.

"Hoppip, I choose you!" Max said.

Hoppip started things off with a tackle attack, which Roselia took a moderate amount of damage from. Roselia countered with an extremely strong shadow ball. Hoppip started using bide, and Roselia's magical leaf helped it build up energy. It finally released it all in a powerful white beam, but Roselia's light screen minimized the damage. Finally, Roselia's petal blizzard knocked Hoppip out.

"Hoppip is unable to battle! Max is now permitted to use his second Pokémon!" the ref said. Max suddenly got extremely scared.

"No, Hoppip is fine… Its using rest!" he said. Max yelled at Hoppip to wake up.

"Your Hoppip is not using rest," Leo said, "now just send out your second Pokémon!"

"Well… about that…" Max trailed off. Hoppip started to evolve. Soon, it was a beautiful Skiploom and was ready for battle! Max sighed in relief. "See! I knew it was still ready to battle!"

Max pulled out his Pokédex and saw that Skiploom learned three new moves upon its evolution!

Skiploom used a powerful bullet seed, which knocked Roselia off of its feet. Roselia returned the favor with a shadow ball, but Skiploom's confusion attack made the balls explode. Skiploom finished Roselia off with a powerful tackle.

Leo sent out his next Pokémon, a Squirtle. Squirtle started the battle with a headbutt, which missed Skiploom. Skiploom knocked Squirtle out with a strong bullet seed.

Max's battle was over, and he was one of the two finalists. The other was Colby. Max was to stay in that arena until Colby was done with his match and plan his strategy. Even though Skiploom was evolved and more powerful, he knew it wasn't even close to any of Colby's Pokémon. All of his other Pokémon were badly hurt, so he couldn't collect them back from Nurse Joy. The other thing was that he only had one, so if a multi-Pokémon match was chosen, he wouldn't be able to pull it off. The ref informed Max that it would be a one-on-one, so that solved that issue. Max tried to take his mind off things.

Grace was facing Florence, ready for battle.

"Vespiqueen, shine like a star!" Florence said.

Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Vespiqueen, the Beehive Pokémon, and the evolved form of Combee. It releases various pheromones to make the Combee nearby do it's bidding while fighting foes."

Grace was ready to use her Pokémon.

"Munna, take the stage!" Grace said. Grace had been training Munna very well over the past few days she had been alive, and she was ready to perform.

"Vespiqueen, use your spinning poison sting!"

Vespiqueen spun while shooting bright pink poison stings from its honeycomb-like openings.

"Munna, defense curl!"

Munna curled up into a ball and the poison sting hit her, but merely dissolved into dust upon contact. The dust looked beautiful around Munna, and Florence lost points. Munna then used psywave, creating beautiful attack that hit Vespiqueen hard. Munna followed with a blue thunder wave, knocking Vespiqueen out.

"The winner of the Johto-Hoenn Interregional Ribbon is Grace!" the loud speaker called.

Max faced Colby. It was time for the battle that Max knew he was most likely going to lose.

"Okay, Ursaring, go!" Colby yelled. The giant Ursaring stood in the middle of the arena.

"Skiploom… go…" Max said.

Skiploom seemed unafraid of the monster-sized Pokémon in front of it.

"I'm going to make this real simple. Ursaring, lets start, and finish, this battle right now! Use hyperbeam!" he said.

The Pokémon used a powerful hyperbeam, and Skiploom easily dodged it. Colby was extremely surprised.

"Skiploom, use tackle!" Max said.

Skiploom tackled Ursaring's face, hurting it. Ursaring retaliated with a metal claw. Skiploom absorbed the power of the power of the metal claw and sent it back with bide. Skiploom used confusion, and Ursaring hit its head on the ground until it fainted.

"Ursaring is unable to battle! This match goes to Max and his Skiploom! Therefore, Max wins a Johto starter Pokémon!" the ref said. Colby returned his Ursaring and walked away. Max hugged Skiploom tight.

Max approached the briefcase of three Pokéballs. He quickly grabbed Totodile.

Max arrived at the Contest Hall just in time to see Grace receive her ribbon.

"Max? What are you doing here?" he heard a familiar voice call at him. He turned around, only to see his sister May!

"May! I thought you were going to Unova to do contests there!" he said while hugging her.

"Well, I am. I was invited to guest judge this contest and I need to get to Ever Grande City so I can take a boat to Unova." May said.

After the crowd settled down, Max explained how he knows Grace and introduced Skiploom to May. Grace joined them, and finally remembered that May was his sister.

"Grace, I am headed to Ever Grande City. There is a big contest coming up there in a few weeks. Maybe you guys can take me over there and you can participate!" May suggested. Grace agreed. Max realized that he had to pick up his Pokémon from the Festival's Pokémon Center. Upon entering, May and Max heard a familiar voice. Brock was working there!

"Brock!" May screamed. Brock turned around and smiled.

"Brock, I thought you were in Pokémon Medical School!" Max said.

"I am. I am just interning at this travelling Pokémon Center for a while! So these Pokéballs are labeled Max. I thought that was just a coincidence, but I'm guessing not!" Brock said.

Max showed Brock and May his Grovyle, Skiploom, Forretress, Tentacool, Slugma, and new Totodile. Brock complimented him.

After much begging, Brock agreed to take a break off of work and travel to Ever Grande with the group. As Ever Grande was the Hoenn transportation hub, he could get a train straight back to Johto, where his school is.

It was settled: Max was to win his next badge, and then the whole group would take a train to Ever Grande. In Ever Grande, Grace would try to earn her third ribbon. Afterwards, May will go to Unova to compete in the new contests and Brock will go back to school via underwater train.


	5. Hoenn: Chapter 5

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 5: On the Road to Ever Grande**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max's battle with Flannery had been going on for almost an hour. Her Magcargo and Torkoal were both defeated, and so were Max's Tentacool and Slugma. All that remained was Max's Totodile and Flannery's Typhlosion. Totodile was basically doing his own thing. He was dancing around the battlefield and just barely listening to Max's orders. Flannery's Typhlosion (formerly her grandfather's) was in perfect sync with its trainer. Flannery was a much more experienced gym leader than she was when Max last saw her.

"Typhlosion, use headbutt!" she commanded. The Pokémon's powerful attack made Totodile fly backwards.

"Max, you have to focus," Brock called, "Totodile is new to battling, so you need to be clever."

Grace and May cringed at Totodile's poor state. The Water-type still managed to happily prance around despite the damage it took.

"Totodile, use slash!" Max commanded.

Totodile slashed Typhlosion hard, causing the Pokémon to fall. Without being ordered to do so, Totodile used a powerful bubble attack, further weakening the Typhlosion.

"Typhlosion, use flame charge!" Flannery commanded.

"Totodile, brine!" he said.

The intense jet of water and Typhlosion's fire-covered body collided, causing an explosion of steam. Totodile then used superpower and threw Typhlosion into the wall, defeating it.

"Flannery's Typhlosion is unable to battle. The match goes to Max. Max should now be awarded the Heat Badge for his victory." The referee said. Flannery handed Max the Heat Badge, and May hugged him tightly.

"I can't believe my little brother had grown up so much!" she yelled.

Grace and Brock congratulated him. Max turned to Flannery.

"Flannery, we all need to get to Ever Grande City so Grace can compete in a contest. Is there any train that can get there?" Max asked. Flannery thought for a moment.

"Well, if you walk to Fallarbor Town, there is a train that can take you straight to a ferry that will bring you to Ever Grande. Fallarbor is a bit far. Take Route 112 and then Route 113 and you will make it there!" Flannery said kindly.

The group started their trek. After making it to a nearby mountain, they decided that they would set up camp. Brock checked his backpack, but all of his supplies for dinner were gone and replaced by a bunch of sticky sludge. May and Grace went to go find more food by a river, and Grace even caught a Goldeen to evolve into her dream Seaking while there. They brought back some delicious berries. To avoid the same situation as they had before, the group walked past the mountain and into the middle of Route 112 to eat. They set all of the berries down on a mat and began eating.

"I can't believe I caught a Goldeen! Now I can finally have a Seaking!" Grace said. Max congratulated her on her capture.

Suddenly, a giant wave of sand hit them. They looked up to see a Volbeat and a Gligar in the air. Below the two was a Gulpin. Gligar and Volbeat grabbed the berries and took off. Gulpin used poison gas to block the trainers' vision. It also made them cough.

"Dustox, come on out and use gust!" Grace said.

"Beautifly, come on out! Use a gust attack!" May said.

The two Wurmple evolutions were side-by-side blowing the smoke away. Brock looked at Grace's Dustox.

"Grace, your Dustox is shiny!" he said.

"I know! Isn't she just the most gorgeous thing?" Grace asked. Brock nodded.

"Dustox, go after that Volbeat and Gligar!" she said.

"Beautifly, help out Dustox!" May said.

Dustox tackled Volbeat, but Gligar and Gulpin got away. Volbeat used flash, blinding Dustox temporarily. Beautifly started spinning and sent a powerful silver wind at the Bug-type. Volbeat fainted.

"Grace, that Volbeat could be great in contests! Catch it!" May said. Grace pulled out a Pokéball and threw it at Volbeat, catching it.

"I caught two Pokémon in one hour! This is amazing!" Grace yelled, "Thank you, May. By the way, can you help me teach my Dustox that move Beautifly used?"

"Silver wind? Of course! It shouldn't be that hard." May agreed.

Beautifly showed Dustox the move. At first, Dustox's silver wind was really weak, but she started to get the hang of it within a few hours.

"Grace, with a little more practice and concentration, your Dustox will be great with silver wind! But, Grace, the Ever Grande Contest is only held once a year, and the winner of the contest doesn't only get the Ever Grande Ribbon, but also a rare Cherish Ball, which is a type of all-red Pokéball. Many, many coordinators will want to win that, so you really have to start thinking about what you are going to do." May said.

That night, May trained with Meganium and Munna, while also getting to know Goldeen. Volbeat was cold to her, and completely ignored the other Pokémon except Dustox, who he had a big crush on. The next morning, the group continued to Fallarbor. It took the whole day, but they made it, only to find out that the train didn't leave until the next morning. Grace took the time to train, and May decided to give her some advice.

"Grace, I have been a coordinator for a long time, and I know you are basically just starting out. I heard from Max that you didn't do very well in Johto, but you have been doing pretty well here. I just want to give you some advice: make sure the Pokémon are the main showcase. Not even the moves are as important as the Pokémon themselves." May offered. Grace thought about the advice.

Grace continued training Dustox's silver wind, but then she thought more about May's advice. She decided to stop focusing on the moves, and more about the Pokémon. She returned Dustox and started working with Goldeen and Volbeat. Goldeen was extremely eager to learn, but Volbeat still ignored her.

The train came in the early hours of the morning, and it had to go in an underground tunnel to get through the ocean. They finally made it to Ever Grande at around 9:00am. Max looked at the huge stadium, knowing that in a little while he would be there in the Ever Grande Conference. Grace registered for the contest, which would kick off later in the day. It was now time to say goodbye to Brock.

They reached the train station, and Brock had to take an underwater tunnel train to mainland Hoenn, then it would go across Hoenn, underwater again, and to Johto.

"Brock, it was so nice seeing you!" May exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Max said.

"We need to meet up again soon!" Brock said. He then stepped into train and it took off.

The contest began and the appeals were starting. The judges were the Ever Grande Nurse Joy, Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and the guest judge, Steven Stone.

Grace was the second person to go. May, Max, and Volbeat were watching from the stands. To everyone's surprise, Grace chose her Goldeen! May gasped in fear, as she only had Goldeen for two days.

"Oh no…" May whispered.

"Why would she…" Max trailed off. May assumed she was taking her advice wrong.

Goldeen wasn't good on land at all, but it wasn't bouncing up and down. Grace must have trained it to stay still.

"Goldeen, use water gun and then ice beam!"

Goldeen used water gun, and it pushed it around. Goldeen went around Grace in a perfect circle. Then it did the same thing using ice beam, which froze the water around Grace. Goldeen then hopped onto Grace's shoulder and used whirlpool, which went around Grace. Goldeen jumped out of the whirlpool and used supersonic. The supersonic shattered the ice into sparkling dust around the whirlpool. May and Max gasped.

"Grace really took my advice well. She focused on the Pokémon and within only a day got Goldeen to be able to do that!" May said.

Grace got just one point under a perfect score. After a few more appeals, they saw a very familiar face: Cierra.

"Altaria, take the stage and the sky!" Cierra said.

Altaria used twister to make several tornadoes. It then used ice beam, making the tornadoes blue. Altaria then used draco meteor, which looked like a firework. It hit all of the blue tornadoes and they exploded into a blue-red collision. Cierra got a perfect score.

"Cierra is a great coordinator," May said, "Grace is going to have a hard time beating her."

"Cierra was better than Grace in Johto, and the reason Grace won the last few contests mainly because Cierra wasn't competing. Before that, she lost two contests to her." Max said. May looked concerned. Volbeat was captivated by the performances.

In the second and third rounds, Cierra used Meganium to battle, and she won both times. Cierra stuck with Altaria. Soon, they were in the finals together. Grace had to choose a good Pokémon. Altaria was able to use ice beam and flamethrower, which made it a bad match against Meganium or Dustox. That left her with Goldeen, Volbeat, and Munna. Goldeen was bad on land and Volbeat hadn't been trained yet, so she decided to go with Munna.

Grace entered the ring.

"Munna, curtain's up!" she yelled.

"Butterfree, take the stage and the sky!" Cierra laughed. She knew Grace would try this, so she came prepared with a Bug-type. Grace gasped at her decision.

"Munna, use thunder wave!" said Grace desperately.

"Butterfree, use iron defense!"

The electricity hit Butterfree, but did not hurt it because of the iron defense. The electricity went up Butterfree's body and shot out of its antennae, making a beautiful display. Grace's points went down drastically. Munna used psywave, but Butterfree did the same thing.

"Butterfree, use headbutt!" she commanded.

Munna used defense curl, but still took some major damage. May knew that Grace had to do something drastic to beat Cierra. Grace was losing by a lot and there was only three minutes left.

"Munna, use a curse and then moonlight!" Grace said.

First, Munna gave herself major damage and put a curse on Butterfree. Munna started glowing and releasing waves of energy out of her body. This restored her health. Butterfree took significant damage from the curse attack. It used poisonpowder and Munna was badly poisoned.

"Munna, magic coat and then another moonlight!"

Munna's magic coat gave Butterfree the bad poison. Munna then cured the poisoning with moonlight. A combination of curse and poison knocked Butterfree out. The timer went off.

"The Ever Grande Ribbon and the Cherish Ball both go to Grace!" the loud speaker raved. Grace took her prizes. May and Max ran to her and gave her a big hug.

Grace added the red-and-gold ribbon to her ribbon case. Nurse Joy approached her with the Cherish Ball.

"Cherish Balls are extremely rare. They are made from the only apricorn native to anywhere outside of Johto: the crimson apricorn. The crimson apricorn is very rare, and only grows in the most remote areas of Eterna Forest in Sinnoh. Because of their fragile nature, even skilled Pokéball makers will try making hundreds before they succeed with one. Cherish Balls work on Pokémon that are special from the rest. Choose wisely which Pokémon you catch with this."

Grace grabbed the ball and put it in a special area of her backpack. She knew that she would know when to use it.

Later in the day, May, Max, and Grace returned to the transportation hub of Ever Grande. They first went to the pier.

"My ferry to Humilau City is here," May said, "I should be arriving in Unova tomorrow at around noon. Grace, I want you to keep on being the best coordinator you can be. Maybe you will win the Hoenn Grand Festival and I will win the Unova Grand Festival. It is only their second Grand Festival there ever! Max, I need you to keep on training your Pokémon well. I need you to win the Ever Grande Conference!" With that, May was gone, with promises to come to watch the Ever Grande Conference in person.

Max and Grace quickly got on the train to Fallarbor Town. Little did they know, a certain Gligar-Gulpin duo was waiting for them at the train station.


	6. Hoenn: Chapter 6

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 6: Captures and Releases**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Grace and Max arrived at the Fallarbor train station and exited the train. Max knew what he had to do next: he had to battle his father to win his next gym badge. But he had no idea how to get back home! He and Grace started towards the nearest Pokémon Center, when they were hit with a sludge attack. Gulpin started digging through Grace's backpack and stole her ribbon case.

"No! That is not for you!" Grace said.

"Go, Totodile!" Max yelled.

Totodile ran towards the fleeing Gulpin, but only managed to shoot down Gligar with a brine attack. Max threw a Pokéball and caught Gligar, but because his party was full, the Pokéball teleported away. Totodile used slash on the Gulpin and caught the ribbon case. Max threw a Pokéball at the Gulpin. The ball shook several times, but Gulpin escaped and ran away.

"Return, Totodile," he said, "I need to capture that Gulpin. It is extremely powerful and clever. It's the perfect tool against Colby!"

Grace took back her case and the two walked to the Pokémon Center. Max called Prof. Birch to ask if he received the Gligar.

"No, I have not received your Gligar. That's because you received your Pokédex from Prof. Oak. So its probably at his lab." Birch said.

Birch transferred the call to Prof. Oak's lab, but Tracey picked up the phone call.

"Hi, Tracey!" Max exclaimed. He introduced Grace to him.

"Hello, Max! So you want to check on your Gligar? We just received it, but we have not let it out of its ball yet. Would you like to transfer over another Pokémon so you can have Gligar?" Tracey asked.

Max thought about which Pokémon to transfer. He also wanted to capture that Gulpin, so he wanted to transfer two Pokémon.

Grovyle was his starter and strongest Pokémon by far, so he didn't want to transfer him. Forretress was quite unpredictable and had risky moves, but if he gave her to Oak for storage, he would never be able to correct this. Slugma and Tentacool were both too strong, and he hadn't even brought out their full potential. This left Skiploom and Totodile. Skiploom was strong when given the chance, but since Max caught it, it was never even given the chance to fly around like a normal Skiploom. Max fought really hard for Totodile, but he thought that Totodile would be better off in a place with a large amount of water, like Oak's.

"I will transfer my Totodile in exchange for Gligar. I will also give my Skiploom to you." Max said. Grace was surprised that Max would choose to send over two.

Max sent away his Pokémon and received the new Gligar.

As Max and Grace walked in the woods, they heard a loud boom. They turned to see a Stantler being badly shocked by a Pikachu. Colby was standing behind it. The Stantler was screaming in pain.

"No, no, no! I purchased you from that guy from Kalos who said you were 'special.' You are nothing." Colby screamed. He sent out his Ursaring, who used metal claw on Stantler and sent it flying. Colby smashed Pikachu's Pokéball and it ran away. Max went to the Stantler's aid and gave it a potion. He knew it would need attention from a Joy, so he captured it in a Pokéball.

Grace ran after the Pikachu and looked at it. It was a female, she could tell by the shape of the tail. Her tail also had a black heart* on it. The Pikachu looked really sad. Grace started talking softly to it.

"Hi, Pikachu. I know Colby was really mean. He is like that. I like your tail!" Grace said. Pikachu made eye contact with her. "I think you would be a great addition to my team! Want to meet my Pokémon?"

Pikachu started nodding. Grace let out Meganium, Dustox, Munna, Goldeen, and Volbeat. Pikachu communicated with them. Grace smiled. Pikachu was really pretty, and she knew she could become great friends with this obviously emotionally suffering Pokémon. She took out her Cherish Ball, tapped Pikachu on the forehead, and captured her. Max ran into the opening Grace was in and told her that they needed to bring Max's new Stantler to the Pokémon Center. Grace returned the Pokémon and ran alongside Max. They reached to the center and gave it to Nurse Joy. After it was healed, Max sent it over to Prof. Oak so he would still have room for Gulpin.

Max and Grace continued, again, into the forest. They eventually passed through a cave. Within a week, they made it all the way back to Petalburg. Max was anxious to battle his father. What if he lost? What if he won? What would his dad think of his Pokémon? Grace, on the other hand, was excited. Her Volbeat was eager to learn to compete in contests after seeing her in the Ever Grande Contest, and there was another contest in North Petalburg later in the day! She was completely ready to take this on. Her confidence had grown a lot since she beat Cierra.

Max saw his house and walked in with Grace. Immediately, Caroline ran and hugged him.

"Hi mom!" he introduced his mother to Grace and then asked where his father was. Caroline led him to the gym.

"Your father has been training pretty hard… I hope you're ready." Caroline said.

Max walked in and saw his dad in the gym. Norman smiled.

"Max, I knew you would be coming soon. I want you to know that I will not be showing any favoritism towards you. So, lets see you try and battle me!" Norman said.

"Okay, dad!" Max said. His father glared at him.

"Address me as Gym Leader Norman."

"Okay… Gym Leader Norman…" he felt weird saying that.

"This will be a three-on-three match between Max and Norman," the ref said, "The challenger will be permitted to switch Pokémon while the gym leader will not. Begin!"

"Go, Slakoth!" Norman said. Max knew what moves each of his dad's Pokémon knew, so this would be an easy win for him.

"Okay, Gligar, I choose you!" Max said.

"Slakoth, use shadow ball!" Norman said. Gligar quickly dodged it.

"Gligar, use fire fang!"

Gligar severely hurt the Slakoth.

"Slakoth, scratch!"

"Gligar, use harden!"

The scratch attack backfired because of Gligar's harden. Gligar then used sand-attack, hurting Slakoth's eyes. It finally finished it with an X-scissor.

"Slakoth is unable to battle! Leader Norman can now use his second Pokémon!" the referee called. Norman sent out Vigoroth.

"Vigoroth, use focus punch!" Norman yelled. The attack immediately knocked Gligar out.

"Okay, Grovyle, go!" Max yelled.

Grovyle started out with a grass knot. It hardly affected Vigoroth, who used flamethrower. Grovyle immediately dodged and used slam, but missed. Again, Vigoroth used flamethrower, but Grovyle managed to dodge a second time. Grovyle then used low sweep, which made Vigoroth fall on the ground. While it was down, Grovyle used dragon claw, knocking it out. Norman sent out Slaking. Grovyle starting things off with a leaf storm, but he was defeated with Slaking's hyperbeam.

"Okay, lets go, Slugma!" Max said.

Slaking used earthquake, hurting Slugma very much. Slugma retaliated using earth power. Slaking quickly recovered from the strong hit and defeated Slugma with focus punch.

"Max's three Pokémon were all defeated. The match goes to Norman!" the ref said.

Max was very upset. His father was _always_ nice to him. He was never this strict. He was ashamed that he lost, but even more hurt that his dad would treat him this way. His father was always so kind. Norman approached him.

"Max, I'm sorry I treated you like that. I was just trying not to show any favoritism." He said. Max understood.

"I… guess I need to get better prepared for this battle…" Max said. He was so embarrassed that he lost. Caroline took him into the house.

"Max, you should train some more in your father's greenhouse. You and Grace can stay here for however long you want." Caroline said.

"Actually, Caroline, I am leaving," Grace said. Max was surprised.

"Why, Grace?" Max asked.

"Well, you have to train for this battle, and I have a contest in North Petalburg. I don't want to be a distraction. I will probably just get a room at the Pokémon Center and come back tomorrow!" Grace said.

Max went to Norman's greenhouse and started training his Pokémon for his rematch. Grace borrowed Max's old bike and started towards North Petalburg to the Contest Hall. She reached the hall and registered. The contest started. Grace was the fifth person to compete in the appeals.

"Okay, Pikachu, the curtain is up!" Grace yelled. Grace had been training with her and discovered that Pikachu knew many moves that Electric-types don't normally know. This would wow the judges. "Pikachu, use icicle crash and then celebrate!"

Pikachu created a blue firework with icicle crash. She then started glowing red and releasing red fireworks from its back. This was celebrate. Finally, Pikachu released all of the red energy into a beautiful sphere-shaped explosion. Grace got a perfect score. She passed through the next two battle rounds, and found out the last battle would be a double battle. Grace has never had a double battle, but she was ready. The trainer she was going against was a man named Geraldo.

"Sneasel, Girafarig, go!" Geraldo said.

"Meganium, Volbeat, the curtain is up!" Grace yelled. She pulled out her Pokédex to see what she was up against. Geraldo pulled out his, too, to scan Volbeat.

"Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. A smart and sneaky Pokémon. A pair may work together to steal Eggs by having one lure the parents away.

"Girafarig, the Long Neck Pokémon. When it is in danger, its tail uses some sort of mysterious powers to drive away the enemy.

"Volbeat, the Firefly Pokémon. With their taillights lit, Volbeat fly in a swarm, drawing geometric designs in the night sky. They move their nests if their pond water becomes dirty."

"Okay, Girafarig and Sneasel, use an ice tackle!" Geraldo said. Grace had never heard of that move.

Girafarig ran towards the two Pokémon, and then it jumped. Sneasel used ice beam, which turned Girafarig into solid ice. Girafarig hit Meganium with full power, and the ice shattered. Meganium nearly fainted, but he used synthesis and healed up. Grace had never even practiced a double battle, so she knew she had to win using brute force. Volbeat's flash attack blinded Girafarig in a beautiful display. Sneasel used blizzard on Meganium. Volbeat defeated Girafarig with a combination of confuse ray and ice punch. Meganium's tackle sent Sneasel flying. Volbeat used confuse ray, and Meganium finished it off with petal dance.

"The North Petalburg Ribbon goes to Grace!"

Grace was grateful that she won, but she knew she wouldn't had if her Pokémon weren't as strong as they were. She needed to train in double battling. She added the hot pink ribbon to her badge case. Now she had the Mauville Ribbon, the Johto-Hoenn Interregional Ribbon, the Ever Grande Ribbon, and the North Petalburg Ribbon. She only needed one more!

Max was training really hard in the greenhouse. He wanted to defeat his father. He had the perfect team: Tentacool, Grovyle, and finally Forretress. Those three would be sure to win against his dad's Pokémon. The only thing he worried about was Forretress. Forretress was really strong, but she had her faults. She would use self-destruct when she knew that she was losing, no matter if Max commanded it or not. Her moves were also very risky: takedown had massive recoil, counter was strong but it allowed damage, self-destruct caused her to faint, toxic gave the enemy no damage, and solar beam took a long time to charge. The only move that was somewhat reliable was pin missile!

Grace took a room in the Pokémon Center in North Petalburg. She went to the roof of the center and practiced her Dustox's silver wind.

Max went for a walk and suddenly a Rattata and Absol ran in front of him Colby came out behind them and saw Max.

"Max, I battled your dad… not exactly the hardest battle ever. I'm training my Rattata and Absol for the Petalburg Battle Tournament. Are you going to compete?" Colby asked. Max had grown up watching the Petalburg Battle Tournament, but he had no idea it was coming up soon.

"Of course I am!" Max said. With that, Colby and his Pokémon were off.

The next morning, Max challenged Norman again.

"Okay, Slakoth, go!" Norman said.

"Tentacool lets go!" Max said.

Tentacool started things off with a hydro pump. Slakoth flew across the room and countered with a thunder wave. Tentacool dodged and used avalanche. The avalanche left Slakoth frozen.

"Slakoth is unable to battle. Leader Norman is now permitted to use his second Pokémon!"

"Go, Vigoroth! Use thunder punch!"

The thunder punch hit Tentacool hard. Max didn't know it could use that move.

"Tentacool, use bubblebeam!" he yelled. The strong attack hurt Vigoroth.

Vigoroth used strength on Tentacool, although its squishy body minimized damage. Tentacool retaliated with supersonic. Vigoroth started banging its head against the ground. Tentacool poisoned it with poison sting. Vigoroth fainted.

"Slaking, lets get this done!" Norman stated, "Use focus punch!"

Tentacool easily dodged the attack and then used hydro pump. Slaking used hyperbeam, and Tentacool protected itself with barrier. Finally, Slaking knocked Tentacool out with focus blast.

"Go, Grovyle!" Max said.

Grovyle used dragon claw, knocking Slaking back. Slaking used retaliate, damaging Grovyle badly.

Out of the window, Gulpin was watching. It was extremely into the battle, and decided to come inside.

Grovyle used giga impact. Slaking grabbed Grovyle and threw him onto the ground. Grovyle fainted.

"Max, your Tentacool and Grovyle were really strong, but Slaking has much more experience." Norman said. Max pulled out Forretress's Pokéball. Just as he was going to throw it, Gulpin jumped into the battlefield.

"Max has chosen a Gulpin!" he said. Max was shocked that Gulpin did that. Max pulled out his Pokédex and saw its moves.

Slaking started things off with a shadow claw attack, which Gulpin easily dodged. Max was impressed with the Poison-type's agility and power. Max commanded Gulpin to use sludge, which badly hurt Slaking. Slaking tried to use headbutt, but it missed and hit the ground. Gulpin used encore, which made Slaking keep using headbutt on the ground. Gulpin finished the battle with a rock smash attack.

"This match goes to Max and his Gulpin!" the ref said. Norman approached him.

"I am so proud of you son. You trained your Pokémon very well. I am glad to say that you get the Petalburg Balance Badge!" Norman said. Max grabbed the badge and went to hug Gulpin, but it was gone. "Max, the Petalburg Battle Tournament is in three days. You and Grace can stay at the house until then if you want to compete!"

Max agreed. Grace came later in the day and showed Max her ribbon. Max told her about the Petalburg Battle Tournament, and she agreed to participate. Max went to sleep in his old room, and Grace went to May's old room. She couldn't believe what was in there.

On May's nightstand were several cases of ribbons she had won. They were from Hoenn, then Kanto, and then Johto. There were five in each. On the walls were plaques. They said: Top 8- Hoenn Grand Festival, Top 4- Kanto Grand Festival, Runner-Up- Johto Grand Festival, and Runner-Up- Wallace Cup.

The walls also had many pictures. May had pictures with her Blaziken, Beautifly, Skitty, Venusaur, Munchlax, Wartortle, and Glaceon. She also had pictures with Brock and another boy, as well as a much younger Max. May even had a picture with the Cerulean City Gym Leader, Misty, and a blue-haired girl that was obviously a coordinator. May was exactly who Grace dreamed of being! And Grace went to sleep, basking in her role model's glory.

*Colby/Grace's Pikachu is based on the Cosplay Pikachu from Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire


	7. Hoenn: Chapter 7

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 7: The Old and New Clash!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max had been training super hard. The Petalburg Battle Tournament was later in the day, and he wasn't about to lose to Colby. He had even set it up with Prof. Oak to transfer different Pokémon to him when he needed them. It was the biggest rookie-level battling event in Hoenn, so there were over 250 people battling, and many of them were coming from other regions. There would be eight rounds. The winner would receive a trophy and lots of prize money. The first four rounds would be one-on-one, and then to three-on-three for the last four. The actual competition takes place in four different arenas, with the last four rounds in a fifth. Hundred of people came to watch, so it was a lot of pressure.

Grace and Max got ready and started towards the arena, and accidentally bumped into a blue-haired girl in a pink outfit. The girl was holding a Piplup, and she turned around.

"Sorry for bumping into you!" Max said. Both he and Grace thought she looked really familiar.

"Wait! I saw you in a picture on May's wall!" Grace said.

"You know May?" the girl asked. Then it clicked. She pointed to Max. "You are May's little brother aren't you? Yes! You're Max! I'm Dawn, and this is Piplup."

Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Piplup, the Penguin Pokémon. Because it is very proud, it hates accepting food from people. Its thick down guards it from the cold."

Grace told Dawn that she was also a coordinator, and Dawn smiled.

"This is my second season in Hoenn. May likes to travel around more that I do. I have all my five ribbons now, so I'm basically just waiting for the Grand Festival. You know, May and I met up a few weeks ago. She said she was going to Unova, because contests are still relatively new there. After that, she and I are going to travel Sinnoh together!" Dawn said. Dawn confirmed that she would be participating in the tournament. When the four walked inside, Dawn saw another familiar face.

"Cilan!" she yelled. The two hugged. Cilan had green hair and eyes to match.

Dawn introduced Cilan to Max and Grace. Soon, Cierra and Colby arrived. The tournament kicked off, and pretty soon it was Max's time to battle. He went up against a girl named Julia, the same girl that Grace had beaten in a contest.

"Zigzagoon, go!" she said.

"Okay, Slugma, I choose you!" Max said.

Zigzagoon used headbutt, but Slugma's hot body burned it. Slugma used several flamethrowers. Zigzagoon attempted a water pulse, but Slugma used earth power and knocked it out.

Grace watched Dawn go up against Cierra in the first round. It was Dawn's Piplup versus Cierra's Venomoth. Venomoth used a powerful silver wind, but Piplup easily dodged it by simultaneously spinning and using bubblebeam. The bubblebeam hurt Venomoth. Piplup then used peck followed by hydro pump. Dawn finished the battle by using Piplup's headbutt attack. Dawn won the match, and Piplup didn't even take any damage! Dawn was amazing!

Grace was up against a woman named Jaclyn. Grace sent out Dustox, and Jaclyn used a Crawdaunt. Grace had never seen that Pokémon.

"Crawdaunt, the Rogue Pokémon, and the evolved form of Corphish. A brutish Pokémon that loves to battle, a veteran Crawdaunt that has prevailed in hundreds of battles has giant pincers marked with countless scars."

Grace knew this would be a hard battle. Jaclyn commanded Crawdaunt to use bubble. Dustox dodged the attack by flying high in the sky. She used gust, sending Crawdaunt flying. Crawdaunt used night slash, which hurt Dustox a lot. Dustox recovered with moonlight. Dustox used bug bite, but then was hit hard with a crabhammer attack. Crawdaunt used ice beam, which Dustox narrowly dodged.

"Dustox, use aerial ace!"

"Crawdaunt, harden!"

The harden made Dustox get hurt after hitting Crawdaunt. Dustox used silver wind, followed by a confusion, knocking it out.

Cilan was next against a woman named Florence. Florence sent out a Vespiqueen, while Cilan used his Stunfisk. Max scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Stunfisk, the Trap Pokémon. Its skin is very hard, so it is unhurt even if stepped on by sumo wrestlers. It smiles when transmitting electricity."

It didn't take long for Stunfisk to finish off Vespiqueen using its thunder attack several times. Next, Colby battled Geraldo, the same coordinator that Grace battled in the North Petalburg Contest.

"Go, Nuzleaf!" Colby said.

"I choose Sneasel!" Geraldo yelled.

Sneasel started with a slash. Nuzleaf used nature power, which turned into a powerful swift attack. Sneasel used ice punch. Nuzleaf hit the ground hard.

"Come on Nuzleaf, get up!" Colby said, frustrated.

Nuzleaf got up and used extrasensory. Sneasel flew back, and then used assist. Its right claw started glowing and then an extremely powerful shadow ball came out. Nuzleaf was hit hard, but countered with a pound and then whirlwind. Sneasel was badly hurt. Nuzleaf finished with a leaf storm, defeating Sneasel.

Max, Dawn, Cilan, and Grace decided to have lunch at a nearby café before round two. The TV in the café was displaying a battle between a girl named Adalinda and a man named Randy. Adalinda had a large amount of hair* and a strong voice. She was very, very tall.

"Go, Blaziken!" Randy said.

"Empoleon, take the stage!" Adalinda said.

Blaziken started with a blaze kick, which barely affected Empoleon. Blaziken used scratch while Empoleon used pound. The two attacks collided. Empoleon used bubble, sending Blaziken way back. Empoleon ran straight at Blaziken, and used powerful brine. Blaziken used mirror move, and sent the attack back at Empoleon. Empoleon then used a stunning hydro cannon to knock out Blaziken.

"Wow… that Empoleon was very powerful!" Max said,

"Yeah. Adalinda is a very powerful opponent. She is a coordinator, you know." Dawn said, "She is one of Clair from Blackthorn City's protégés. She wants to take over the Dragon-type gym there after Clair decides to retire."

"Wait, Empoleon is not a Dragon-type." Grace said.

"Well, she is from Sinnoh and chose Piplup as her first Pokémon, like me! I only know her because she beat me in a few contests here in Hoenn." Dawn said.

The second round was relatively easy. Max, Grace, Dawn, Cilan, Adalinda, and Colby all passed. The third round was easy for Grace, Dawn, Adalinda, and Colby, but Max and Cilan were paired up.

"Crustle, come out!" Cilan said.

"I choose you, Stantler!" Max yelled. Max had gotten Stantler temporarily sent back to his party for this battle.

"Crustle, use stone edge!"

The stones hit Stantler hard, but Stantler tackled it. Crustle used slash. Stantler used leer, which made Crustle back off. Crustle used X-scissor, but Stantler dodged. Stantler used tackle, followed by a takedown. Crustle was just about to use slash, but Stantler defeated it with earthquake.

"Although I lost, this battle had lots of spicy flavor. I might need a glass of water!" Cilan said.

The next day it was round four. Cilan decided not to stay for the rest of the tournament. He was to take the ferry from Little Root to Vermillion City to become an official judge for Kanto Contests. The fourth round of the tournament was easy. Max, Grace, Dawn, Colby, and Adalinda all passed into the fifth round. The fifth round was the start of three-on-three matches. They all looked at the match-ups. Max was paired with Grace.

"Sorry, Max, but I'm gonna win again, like I have the last two battles!" Grace laughed.

"I wouldn't be so sure! I have gotten much stronger since then!" Max said.

Soon, Max and Grace were facing each other in the arena.

"Dustox, the curtain is up!" Grace said.

"Okay, I choose you Gligar!" Max yelled.

Gligar started with an X-scissor, but Dustox's harden minimized the damage. Dustox used confusion. Gligar countered with steel wing. Dustox fainted. Grace sent out Volbeat. Volbeat used ice punch. Gligar took lots of damage, but retaliated using screech. Volbeat fell to the ground.

"Volbeat, use double team!"

"Gligar, attack all of the Volbeat with a poison sting."

All of the Volbeat dissolved into the air, and the real one was hurt. Volbeat used tail glow while simultaneously using quick attack. Gligar was quickly knocked out, only to be replaced by Tentacool.

"Tentacool, use hydro pump!" he yelled. Volbeat was hit hard.

"Volbeat, use thunder!"

The thunder hurt Tentacool extremely badly. Tentacool used bubblebeam, sending Volbeat backwards. Tentacool finished Volbeat with an avalanche attack. Grace deliberated what Pokémon to use. She decided to send out her Pikachu. Tentacool used screech and Pikachu returned the attack with a meteor mash and then a very strong thunder wave, which made Tentacool faint. Max sent out Slugma. Slugma used earth power and then body slam, ending the match with Max's victory. Grace met him after the match in the trainer's lounge.

"Good match, Max! Don't expect to win next time, though!" Grace said with a wink.

Dawn had defeated a girl named Cherry and Adalinda defeated a guy named Nando. Max and Grace watched Colby's match against a girl named Chloe.

"You were the one who defeated my boyfriend, Geraldo!" Chloe said.

Colby sent out Marshtomp and Chloe sent out a Turtwig. Max took out his Pokédex to scan the two Pokémon.

"Turtwig, the Tiny Leaf Pokémon. It undertakes photosynthesis with its body, making oxygen. The leaf on its head wilts if it is thirsty."

"Marshtomp, the Mud Fish Pokémon. A thin, sticky film that enables it to live on land envelops the surface of Marshtomp's body. This Pokémon plays in mud on beaches when the ocean tide is low."

"I guess Mudkip has evolved. Turtwig has the obvious advantage, though." Grace said.

Marshtomp started with a tackle attack. Turtwig attacked with a leaf storm, almost knocking him out. Marshtomp used sludge wave, but Turtwig sent it back with a tackle, knocking Marshtomp out. Colby sent out Ursaring, who used focus punch and knocked out Turtwig. Chloe sent out Leafeon. Leafeon used takedown. Ursaring used lick. Leafeon used swift, but Ursaring grabbed it by the head and used fling. Leafeon fainted and Chloe sent out a shiny Ponyta. Grace was very impressed by its blue flames. Ponyta used firespin, which hit Ursaring hard. Ursaring knocked it out with one metal claw.

Round six matchups were put onto the big screen. Max was paired with Colby! The match went by extremely quickly. Colby only had to use Absol, which quickly knocked out Grovyle, Forretress, and Stantler. After losing, Max sent Stantler back to Oak's. He was very upset by his loss, but he realized it was a wakeup call that he needed to train more.

The semi-finals came quickly. Adalinda used her Dragonite, Dragonair, and Flygon against a trainer named Steven Stone. Dawn was to go against Colby!

"Go, Pachirisu!" Dawn yelled.

"I choose Rattata." Colby said.

Pachirisu used discharge, which really hurt Rattata.

"Come on, Rattata, don't be a wimp! Use swords dance!" Colby yelled.

Rattata used swords dance and then tackle. Pachirisu retaliated using spark. Rattata used blizzard and then bite. Pachirisu used discharge again, almost defeating Rattata. Rattata started evolving. Dawn pulled out her Pokédex.

"Raticate, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Rattata. If attacked, it stands up on its hind legs, bares its fangs and shrieks in an intimidating manner at its enemy."

"Pachirisu, use sweet kiss!" Dawn yelled.

Raticate dodged and then used sucker punch. Pachirisu fell back and was knocked out with a crunch. Dawn sent out Mamoswine. Mamoswine ran at Raticate, but the Normal-type dodged. Raticate used a combo of double-edge and thunder. The thunder did not affect Mamoswine, but the double-edge damaged it. After back-and-forth shadow balls and ice shards, Raticate finished Mamoswine with a giga impact. Dawn sent out Togekiss. Raticate used iron tail, but Togekiss finished off Raticate with extrasensory. Colby sent out Absol.

"Absol, use razor wind!" he yelled. Togekiss used safeguard.

Absol used scratch, sending Togekiss flying. Absol then used slash, finishing it off. Music played.

"Colby will be moving to the finals!" the speaker boomed.

The finals came quickly. Adalinda seemed confident, as did Colby.

"Dragonite, I choose you!" she yelled.

"Go, Gabite!" Colby yelled. Max figured that his Gible evolved. He took out his Pokédex.

"Gabite, the Cave Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gible. It loves sparkly things. It seeks treasures in caves and hoards the loot in its nest."

Max noticed the shape of its fin, and the Pokédex said that it meant Gabite was female.

"Dragonite, use fire punch!" she yelled.

"Dodge and then use dragon rage!" Colby yelled.

Dragonite was hurt by the attack, but used roost to recover. It then used supersonic, but Gabite evaded the attack. Gabite used double-edge. Dragonite fell, and Gabite was going to come in for another attack, but Dragonite's leer made it back off.

"This battle is great! I have never seen two Dragon-types battle each other!" Grace cheered.

"Dragonite, fire blast!" Adalinda yelled.

The fire blast hit Gabite with full power. Gabite used sandstorm, which forced Dragonite to close its eyes. Gabite took advantage of this and used fire fang. Dragonite threw Gabite on the ground and used dragon rage, but missed. Gabite used dragon rage right back, but Dragonite used safeguard to protect itself. Dragonite finished off Gabite with ice beam.

"Gabite is unable to battle. Colby may now use his second Pokémon!" the ref called.

"Cloyster, go!" Colby yelled.

"I didn't know Colby had that Pokémon!" Grace said.

"Yeah, it's a Cloyster!" Max yelled. Dawn pulled out her Pokédex.

"Cloyster, the Bivalve Pokémon, and the evolved form of Shellder. Cloyster is capable of swimming in the sea. It does so by swallowing water, then jetting it out toward the rear. This Pokémon shoots spikes from its shell using the same system."

"Dragonite, use dragon tail!"

"Cloyster, withdraw!" Colby said.

The dragon tail hit the hard shell and exploded, giving Dragonite the damage and completely saving Cloyster. Dragonite used dragon rage, but the move, again, didn't work on Cloyster while it was using withdraw. Cloyster used icicle spear, severely damaging Dragonite. Cloyster finished it off with another icicle spear.

"Okay, Magmar, go!" she yelled.

Magmar started with a rock smash, but it simply hurt its fists against Cloyster's hard shell. It then used dual chop, which was again useless. Even its thunderbolt was simply sent back at Magmar after hitting the withdrawn Cloyster. Cloyster suddenly opened its shell and used brine. Magmar was hit hard. Cloyster then used hydro pump, sending Magmar flying. Magmar used flamethrower, which was useless. It then used lava plume, which heated up Cloyster's shell to a maximum. Cloyster had to open up to allow some smoke to leave. Magmar saw its chance and used smog, choking the Water-type. It then used confuse ray, but Cloyster evaded and used twineedle, knocking out Magmar.

"What was that move?" Grace asked and pulled out her Pokédex.

"Twineedle, a Bug-type attack. The user damages the target twice in succession by jabbing it with two spikes. This may also poison the target. It is the signature move of Beedrill."

"Go, Salamence!" Adalinda yelled. Max, Grace, and Dawn were all shocked that she even owned a Salamence. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Salamence, the Dragon Pokémon, and the evolved form of Shelgon. By evolving into Salamence, this Pokémon finally realizes its long-held dream of growing wings. To express its joy, it flies and wheels all over the sky while spouting flames from its mouth."

Cloyster started with an icicle spear, but missed. Cloyster then used rock blast and supersonic, but both moves missed again! Salamence was super fast! Salamence immediately used ember, which was so powerful that it gave Cloyster damage even though it was inside its shell. Salamence then used double-edge and made Cloyster faint. Colby replaced it with Absol. Absol used razor wind, and Salamence minimized damage with a defense curl. Salamence used hydro pump, which hit Absol with full power. Absol used ice beam, which was intercepted with Salamence's incinerate attack. Salamence used rockslide, and Absol used the rocks to jump up to Salamence and use flamethrower in its face. Salamence finished the match with an ember.

"Adalinda has won the Petalburg Battle Tournament!" the announcer called. Grace, Max, and Dawn cheered at the win. Colby returned Absol and walked out of the ring. Within minutes, Max was given his top-8 plaque, Grace was given her top-16 plaque, and Dawn was awarded her top-4 plaque. Adalinda got a huge trophy and prize money.

Max, Dawn, and Grace walked to Max's house. Max hung his plaque on his wall and Grace and Dawn packed theirs in boxes and sent them in the mail to their respective homes. Later in the day, Dawn got ready to leave.

"Guys, it has been a real blast meeting you!" she exclaimed, "Grace, I hope to see you in the Grand Festival! Max, you better win all of your badges to get to the Ever Grande Conference! I am off to Mauville to visit a friend of mine for a while!"

Dawn soon left. Grace and Max went to bed. Grace noticed a runner-up plaque for the Petalburg Tournament in May's room. Max knew that this gave him more experience, so he was ready to take on the next gym!

*Adalinda is based off of Hilda from Black and White.


	8. Hoenn: Chapter 8

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 8: Gulpin, Winona, and Casty**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Grace and Max had been walking for almost a week and a half. They were deep within route 119, almost to Fortree City. As they walked, Max realized that he never asked Grace about her travels in Johto.

"Grace, tell me about what happened when you were in Johto." Max said. Grace looked at him, surprised. She swallowed.

"Well, a week after my tenth birthday I went from Cherrygrove City, my hometown, to New Bark Town. I knew I wanted to be a coordinator. So anyway, I got my first Pokémon from Elm…" she began.

"Chikorita?" Max asked. Grace nodded.

"Yeah, so me and Chikorita started out together. I soon caught a Murkrow, who is not the biggest fan of me! I eventually won a contest, but then I went on a giant losing streak after meeting Cierra. Cierra was my enemy, although she wasn't as aware of me as I was of her. So, when I went to Eggseter to visit my great-grandparents, they gave me two baby Pokémon: Happiny and Chingling. I also gave them my Murkrow…"

"Why did you give them Murkrow?" Max interjected.

"Well, Murkrow was not the biggest fan of contests and it wasn't the biggest fan of me. So anyway, Happiny and Chikorita soon evolved. Chansey evolved again a few months later. In the end, I couldn't go to the Grand Festival because I only had three ribbons. I decided to go to Hoenn, and I decided to let Blissey and Chingling train on their own at my great-grandparents' Day Care." Grace said.

Max thought that her experiences in Johto were interesting. Suddenly, Grace and Max saw a large building.

"That is the Weather Institute!" Max said. Grace and Max saw Cierra walking out of it. She was holding an odd-looking Pokémon. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Castform, the Weather Pokémon. It alters its form depending on the weather. Changes in the climate such as the temperature and humidity appear to affect its cellular structure."

Cierra noticed Max and Grace standing nearby. Cierra waved.

"Hey, Max; hey, loser! I was at the Weather Institute to meet up with one of my dad's old buddies, and he gave me this Castform, Casty! Isn't he just the cutest thing in the world?" Cierra said.

Grace ignored that Cierra called her loser. She looked at the small Pokémon.

"Are you going to use it in your contests?" Grace asked, trying to look uncaring.

"Of course," said Cierra, "I am going to use him in the Fortree Contest tomorrow! I already beat Winona, and I only need two badges and one ribbon! Say, are you going to compete in the Fortree Contest?"

"Um… yeah! I have been practicing a new technique!" Grace lied. Grace hadn't even known that there was a contest in Fortree!

Cierra ran off with her new Pokémon. Max looked at her.

"A new technique?" Max asked.

"Well, even though I don't _really_ have one, I will train extra hard tonight to make one for the contest! Okay, I will go to the Pokémon Center and start training. You go challenge the gym and get your badge!"

The two ran to Fortree City and went their separate ways. Grace started a new double-routine with Goldeen and Pikachu. Max went to Winona's gym. After challenging her, they went to the battlefield and started the match, which was to be a two-on-two.

"I choose Crobat!" Winona yelled.

"Go, Tentacool!" Max said.

Crobat started off with a poison sting, which did not affect Tentacool. Tentacool used hydro pump, which hurt Crobat. It then used supersonic, but Crobat dodged. Crobat used steel wing, which barely hurt Tentacool. Tentacool used bubblebeam, knocking Crobat out. Winona sent in her shiny Swellow. Tentacool started with a poison sting, but Swellow dodged. After many attacks on Tentacool, Tentacool was about to faint. Suddenly, Tentacool evolved! Max gasped in excitement. He pulled out his Pokédex.

"Tentacruel, the Jellyfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tentacool. Tentacruel has tentacles that can be freely elongated and shortened at will. It ensnares prey with its tentacles and weakens the prey by dosing it with a harsh toxin. It can catch up to 80 prey at the same time."

"Swellow, hyperbeam!"

Swellow's hyperbeam was blocked with Tentacruel's barrier. Tentacruel used takedown, but missed. It then used skull bash, knocking the shiny Pokémon to the ground. It finished with an aurora beam, knocking Swellow out. Max was awarded Feather Badge. He ran to the Pokémon Center and showed Grace his badge. She seemed extremely happy for him. She told him that she had been practicing on a great new routine for the appeals with Pikachu and Goldeen. The night came and passed and soon Grace was getting ready for her contest. It was her first time against Cierra in a while. Her last battle against Cierra was just luck. She didn't know if she could count on Munna again like that.

The contest started and the contestants seemed very strong. She saw that girl Chloe perform with her Starly. It was soon Cierra's turn to perform. Max and Grace looked in awe at the stunning performance.

"Go, Casty, take the stage and the sky!" she yelled. The Castform flew midair.

Casty started out with sunny day. Sunny day made Casty turn into its sunny form.

"Did Casty just… evolve?" Grace asked.

"No. Castform changes its form with the weather. It used sunny day, making the weather sunny."

"Casty, use fire blast!" Grace commanded. Casty used a powerful fire blast into the air and exploded into a beautiful display.

Casty then used rainy day, which made it turn into a Water-type. Castform used hydro pump, which went high into the air. Casty finally used hail, which turned it into an Ice-type. It used blizzard, making an icy tornado. The judges gave her a perfect score.

Next, it was Grace's turn.

"Goldeen, Pikachu, the curtain's up!" Grace yelled.

Goldeen started with a whirlpool and threw it into the air. Pikachu used electric terrain, which made the entire whirlpool glow with electricity. Pikachu used surf and started spinning around the glowing whirlpool. Grace got a close-to-perfect score. Soon, it was round two, and Grace was immediately paired with Cierra. The battle soon started.

"Okay, Granbull, take the stage! Bulbasaur, you go too!" Cierra yelled.

Grace was surprised. She guessed that Granbull was a new addition to Cierra's team, but she hadn't seen Bulbasaur since the events in the Granite Cave. Cierra's Bulbasaur was a great battler, and was Cierra's first Pokémon ever.

"Okay, Dustox, Munna, lets do this!"

Bulbasaur and Granbull started with a powerful flamethrower-razor leaf combo. Dustox and Munna were both hit hard, but Dustox used confusion and Munna used psywave. The attacks hit hard. Granbull used takedown while Bulbasaur used skull bash. Munna used thunder wave to stop them in their tracks. Dustox used toxic, but Bulbasaur deflected it with vine whip. Bulbasaur used skull bash on Dustox, knocking it out. Munna then used psywave on Bulbasaur, knocking it out. It was now Munna versus Granbull.

Granbull used dynamic punch and Munna used defense curl. Munna was pushed across the field and bounced back up. Munna used curse and then healed itself with moonlight. Granbull was hurt by the curse, but was still able to use outrage. Munna was severely hurt, and finally was knocked out by Granbull's sludge bomb. Eventually, Cierra won the entire contest and her fifth ribbon! Grace was devastated.

Grace and Max were walking away from the city when they were suddenly hit with a hard sludge attack. Max turned around and saw Gulpin.

"This time, I'm going to catch you!" Max yelled, "I choose you, Forretress!"

Forretress started with a takedown, sending Gulpin flying. Gulpin used rock smash, hurting Forretress. Forretress used pin missile, and then giga drain. Gulpin started getting scared. Forretress had it cornered. Suddenly, Gulpin started glowing bright red and used a powerful explosion attack that was twice as powerful as Forretress's self-destruct.

Forretress fainted, and Max saw that Gulpin was also unconscious. Max threw a Pokéball at the Gulpin. After a few shakes, it was captured.

"Alright! I caught Gulpin!" Max yelled. Grace forced a smile, as she was still upset about losing the contest.

Max returned Forretress. After some more walking, the group saw an Altaria flying towards them. It had an envelope in its mouth. Grace filled with rage, as she thought it was Cierra's Altaria. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Altaria, the Humming Pokémon, and the evolved form of Swablu. It hums in a beautiful soprano voice. It flies among white clouds in the blue sky. It launches intensely hot fireballs from its mouth."

"Cierra thinks she can give me some rude letter while showing off her dumb Altaria? I'll show her!" Grace yelled. She threw her Cherish Ball, letting out Pikachu. "Pikachu, use flying press!"

Pikachu hit Altaria hard. Altaria seemed confused as to why it was being attacked. It used pluck, hurting Pikachu. Altaria put the envelope in its wing. Pikachu used electric terrain. Altaria used astonish and then sky attack. Pikachu's thunder wave hurt Altaria really badly. Altaria used dragon pulse, and Pikachu dodged. Pikachu used meteor mash. Altaria used mirror move and knocked Pikachu out using meteor mash. Grace filled with anger as she returned Pikachu. Altaria calmly landed in front of Grace and gave her the envelope. Grace tore it open and started reading it.

The letter was addressed to Max and Grace:

 _Dear Max and Grace,_

 _I'm sorry I did not deliver this letter in person, as I am a bit busy tidying up my lake house. I sent my Altaria, though. I hope she isn't too much trouble! So anyway, I was very impressed by your performances in the Petalburg Battle Tournament, and I am holding a party at my lake house near Fortree City. I am inviting some other people who participated in the tournament as well as a few friends of mine. I would love it if you could stop by! If your answer is yes, Altaria will lead you there._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Adalinda_

"Um… that isn't Cierra's Altaria… It is Adalinda's. Adalinda is inviting us to a party at her lake house. Should we go?" Grace said.

"Of course we should go!" Max said.

Altaria cheered and started leading them away.


	9. Hoenn: Chapter 9

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 9: The Dragons of Johto and the Open Sea!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Altaria led them a few miles and they eventually got to a large gate. Altaria pushed the gate open and lead them inside. The road there took them to a large blue lake and a big house with a dock next to it. Altaria flew way high into the sky. Max and Grace started towards the house. They approached the door and knocked. Adalinda's Magmar, who smiled upon seeing the guests, opened the door. Magmar led them to the common room, where they saw a few familiar faces: Dawn, Geraldo, and Chloe.

Max and Grace started talking with Dawn, when Colby stumbled in from the kitchen, eating a yellow apple. Soon Cherry, Steven Stone, Randy, and Nando all entered. Dawn was happy upon seeing Nando. Soon, the group all walked outside onto the docks. Dawn, Grace, Max, and Nando broke off from the group and went to the beach area. Max let out Tentacruel, Grace let out Goldeen, Dawn let out Piplup, and Nando let out Armaldo. The Pokémon all played in the water, and were soon joined by Adalinda's Kingdra, Empoleon, Magikarp, and Dragonair. Eventually, a girl named Iris, who Dawn knew, came. Max pulled out his Pokédex when he saw her Axew.

"Axew, the Tusk Pokémon. They use their tusks to crush the berries they eat. Repeated regrowth makes their tusks strong and sharp."

"Wow, your Axew is awesome!" Grace said.

"Thanks a lot!" Iris yelled.

"Iris, you are from Unova, right?" Grace asked. Iris nodded. "Well, I actually have a Pokémon native to Unova. Can you take a look?"

"Sure." Iris said.

"Okay Munna, come on out!"

Iris thought Munna was the cutest thing. Dawn explained that Max travelled with Ash at one point too. Iris explained that she knew Adalinda because they were both protégés of Clair. Soon, Adalinda came out. She greeted all of her guests, and hugged Iris. After a delicious lakeside lunch, Adalinda challenged Iris to a battle while the rest of them ate ice cream. Iris and Adalinda went to a water battlefield in the center of the lake. The only land in the battlefield was a small barrier around the area and two circular platforms.

"Okay, Dragonite, I choose you!" Adalinda yelled.

"Go, Emolga!" Iris said.

Dragonite was hit several times by Emolga's electric attacks. Eventually, Emolga used volt switch and sent out Iris's Dragonite. After a fierce battle between the two Dragonite, Adalinda won. Iris's Emolga finished off Dragonite and was then defeated by Adalinda's Kingdra. Iris's Gible beat Kingdra, and Adalinda's Exploud defeated Gible. The battle was intense and everybody cheered in the end.

Soon, the party was over. Grace and Max continued on. After reaching Lilycove City a few days later, they immediately went to the Pokémon Center to heal up their Pokémon and Grace looked online to see what Pokémon Contests were coming up soon.

"Well, the Lilycove Contest just happened yesterday, so I can't participate in that. Wait! There is a contest in Mossdeep. We are going there anyway, so it is a good idea that I participate in that!" Grace said. Max agreed.

Soon, their Pokémon were healed. They stayed overnight at Lilycove, and had to find out how to get to Mossdeep from there. They decided to take the ferry, so they started towards the port. The ferry was badly damaged and there were many repairmen all around it. Grace walked up to one of the workers.

"Excuse me, but what is wrong with the boat? When will it be operational again?" she asked.

"The boat was attacks by a large Pokémon. We have no idea what type. The ferry service will not be operational for another two to three weeks!" the man said. Grace gasped.

"But I have to get my final ribbon and Max here has to get his seventh badge! We can't wait three weeks! The contest is tomorrow!" Grace whined. Suddenly, a familiar voice called.

"Grace! Max!" Prof. Oak yelled. He was with Prof. Juniper and Tracey. The kids ran to the professors.

"Hi! What are you doing here?" Max asked.

"We are investigating the attack on this ferry. We think it might be Kyogre!" Oak said.

"We are going out on our own boat deep into water route 124." Tracey said.

"Well, can we come? We have to go to Mossdeep City." Grace said. The professors agreed.

They got on the boat, which was quite small compared to the ferry. There were two smaller boats without engines lied to either side of it.

"Before we go to Mossdeep City, we need to look for this mysterious Pokémon." Oak said.

"Hey, did you two get the egg I sent?" Juniper asked.

"Yes! Max and I battled for it and I won, so I kept it. Want to see?" Grace asked. Juniper nodded.

Grace sent out Munna. Juniper complimented Grace on how well she raised it and Grace blushed and returned the Psychic-type. Soon, they were in the middle of the ocean on the boat. Tracey put a bunch of equipment on one of the two boats and he, Grace, and Juniper hopped on. Max went on the other one alone while Oak stayed on the main boat, listening to different noises via earphones. Max was barely ten feet away from the main boat, and Tracey's boat was just a few feet away from Max's.

"Okay, so now we must send some of our Pokémon down to search." Juniper said. Oak pulled off his earphones.

"I have heard many different types of Pokémon down there. I have not detected anything too unusual, though. Okay, lets get the Pokémon searching!" Oak said.

"We need Water-types. Go, Marill!" Tracey said.

"Goldeen, we need you!" Grace said.

"I choose Tentacruel!" Max yelled.

"Go, Corphish, Kingler, and Totodile!" Oak said. Corphish swam towards Max. Max smiled.

"This is Ash's, isn't it?" Max said, delighted.

"Yes. All three of them are. I asked Ash if it was okay, and he said it was a great idea." Oak said. Grace pulled out her Pokédex at Kingler.

"Kingler, the Pincer Pokémon, and the evolved form of Krabby. Kingler has an enormous, over sized claw. It waves this huge claw in the air to communicate with others. However, because the claw is so heavy, the Pokémon quickly tires."

"Frillish, Alomomola, help out, too!" Juniper said. Max looked at the blue Frillish and Alomomola with wonder. He pulled out his Pokédex.

"Frillish, the Floating Pokémon. If its veil-like arms stun and wrap a foe, that foe will be dragged miles below the surface, never to return."

"Alomomola, the Caring Pokémon. Floating in the open sea is how they live. When they find a wounded Pokémon, they embrace it and bring it to shore."

"We are going to need some Pokémon looking from the air, too! Does anybody have any?" Oak asked.

"Yep! Okay, Dustox, Volbeat, Munna, go!" Grace yelled.

"I choose you, Gligar!" Max said.

"Scyther, we need you!" Tracey said.

"Go, Pidove!" Juniper said. Max scanned it.

"Pidove, the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon. These Pokémon live in cities. They are accustomed to people. Flocks often gather in parks and plazas."

Marill, Goldeen, Tentacruel, Corphish, Kingler, Totodile, Frillish, Alomomola, Dustox, Volbeat, Munna, Gligar, Scyther, and Pidove all looked to Prof. Oak.

"Okay, we need _all_ of your help," Oak said, "Water-types, we want you to go to the bottom and search for this Pokémon."

Oak showed a picture of Kyogre on a monitor on the boat.

"And all of you who can fly, look down from high above to look for any shadows shaped like it," Tracey said, "Goldeen, Alomomola, stay for a minute. The rest of you go!"

Juniper convinced Grace to go down diving with her, and eventually they both got into complete scuba gear. Grace grabbed on to Goldeen and dove deep down. Juniper did the same with Alomomola.

Tracey had a box attached to two very long lines with two cameras. The box had two little screens on it. Tracey handed one camera to Marill to see what it saw, and sent the other straight to the bottom. All he was seeing from either camera were schools of Luvdisc, Lanturn, Chinchou, Magikarp, Relicanth, Seaking, Tentacool, Seadra, Huntail, Gorebyss, Mantine, and Clamperl. He quickly sketched the Pokémon.

Max had a complicated machine that he barely knew how to use. It was getting different heat readings from Pokémon deep within the water, and he didn't really know what to make of them. His attention drew away from it and he just looked around with his binoculars. He really hoped that he saw Kyogre.

Oak was listening closely to different Pokémon calls he was hearing via microphones he sent down into the ocean. He was hearing mostly Lanturn, but some others. He even heard Grace's Goldeen once.

Grace and Juniper were deep into the ocean, right at the bottom. The water wasn't too dark, but it was nevertheless hard to see. Grace saw a beautiful Relicanth that she wanted to capture but she realized that she didn't have any Pokéballs. Grace had never realized how graceful Goldeen was in the water. She felt bad that she didn't let Goldeen out to swim more.

None of the Pokémon or people saw anything. Tracey was about to send the signal for everyone to return when he realized something strange on the cameras. There were no Pokémon.

Pidove, Gligar, and Dustox all flew over to Max and started vocalizing like crazy. Max looked at the heat signatures from deep below and saw something huge below. Volbeat, Munna, and Scyther were trying to get a closer look at whatever was down there. Max wasn't sure what to think. He was too scared to move.

Soon Frillish, Marill, Kingler, and Totodile shot up to the surface and onto the main boat. Oak seemed to be listening intently.

Oak was hearing a strange call he had never heard before. Tentacruel and Corphish were the next to come up.

"Prof. Oak, I think it may be here…" Tracey said, nervous.

"Well, Grace and Juniper will tell us that." Oak said.

Goldeen and Alomomola started acting really strangely. Goldeen seemed to want to leave, and Alomomola tried to hide in the seaweed. Tracey suddenly saw something huge on his small screen, and it was right below him. It was Kyogre. Grace and Juniper saw it. Grace slowly pulled out her Pokédex.

"Kyogre, the Sea Basin Pokémon. Kyogre is said to be the personification of the sea itself. Legends tell of its many clashes against Groudon, as each sought to gain the power of nature."

Kyogre seemed to hear this, and turned towards Grace. It opened its mouth and started a hyperbeam. Grace, Goldeen, Juniper, and Alomomola all shot to the surface and onto the main boat. Tracey and Max both started rowing towards the main boat. They saw a flash underwater, which they assumed was its hyperbeam attack.

"Kyogre is coming!" Grace yelled, almost in tears.

Max climbed onboard. He stood next to Tentacool and Gligar landed on his back. He decided to keep them out just incase Kyogre attacked. Grace returned Goldeen, Volbeat, and Munna, but left Dustox out. Dustox landed on her head. Tracey picked up Marill and returned Scyther. Oak left out all three Pokémon. Juniper only returned Alomomola. With all people and Pokémon onboard, Oak started the engine and they started going at full speed.

Kyogre leaped from the water and sent a giant wave at the boat. As the wave hit, Tentacruel grabbed everyone to keep them from falling off. Kyogre opened its mouth and used blizzard. The blizzard was powerful, but luckily made the boat move faster. Oak started getting worried.

"What if Kyogre decides to use hyperbeam on us?" Oak asked.

"Well, lets hope not… Tentacruel could use barrier, but I doubt it will be enough." Max said.

Totodile used water gun to push the boat faster. The other Pokémon thought that that was a good idea, so they helped out. Marill used water gun, Kingler used brine, Tentacruel used hydro pump, Corphish used bubble, and Frillish used hydro pump. The boat started moving significantly faster. Juniper started taking many pictures of Kyogre. Tracey took out his PokéNav.

"At this rate, we should be to shore in about five minutes!" Tracey yelled.

Kyogre jumped out again, creating a wave.

"Dustox, use silver wind on that wave! Pidove, use air cutter! Gligar, use dark pulse!" Max commanded.

The three attacks combined and destroyed the wave. Kyogre opened its mouth and started using hyperbeam. The group was shocked.

"We need to stop it before it uses hyperbeam, or else we will all be fried!" Tracey said.

"Okay, I choose Pikachu! Use electric terrain! Munna, come out and use thunder wave!" Grace said.

"Frillish, thunder wave, too!" Juniper commanded.

The electric attacks all startled Kyogre and made it stop the hyperbeam. Suddenly, the boat crashed on land and the people and Pokémon flew off and hit the ground hard. Kyogre disappeared. The people returned all of their Pokémon.

"Well, I guess we should get some rooms at a Pokémon Center and get all washed up!" Grace said.

"Nonsense! I reserved a triple-deluxe suit at the nicest hotel on the island: The Mossdeep Grand Hotel! I hear triple-deluxe is much better than the double-deluxe, deluxe, and normal suites." Oak said. The group cheered.

They arrived at the hotel and were taken to the top floor. The suite was huge! It had a living room with a TV, four bedrooms (each with a private bathroom), a powder room, a small kitchen, and a large balcony. The balcony had access to the roof, which had a beautiful private garden.

"This is the best room in the entire hotel. How did you even afford this?" Grace asked. Oak scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"Well, because I'm technically here on business, my sponsors agreed to pay for any hotel I wanted to stay. Since I go the call about Kyogre being off of Mossdeep, I thought this would be a great place to stay!" he said.

All of the Pokémon were let out to play in the garden. Alomomola and Goldeen had a nice pool in the garden to play in. Oak set up a little research area so he could study all of the data they collected. Soon, it was the middle of the night. All of the Pokémon were returned and they went to bed. Grace's stomach turned at the thought of competing tomorrow. She snuggled up close to her Munna and drifted off.


	10. Hoenn: Chapter 10

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 10: Mossdeep to Izabe; Izabe to Sootopolis**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Grace was ready for her contest. She got dressed and was out the door very soon. Max, Tracey, and Juniper all went with her, while Oak was too busy looking over the data. They made it to the Contest Hall and Grace registered. Around two hours later, the contest began! Grace was eventually up for the appeals.

"The curtain's up, Dustox!" Grace yelled.

Dustox used a combo of silver wind and poisonpowder to wow the judges. The judges were Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, the Mossdeep City Nurse Joy, and the guest judge was Marina, a top coordinator from Johto. They gave Grace a close-to-perfect score. Grace flew through the next rounds and finally was in the finals against a boy named Leo.

"Scizor, take the stage!" Leo yelled.

"Meganium, the curtain's up!" Grace said. She pulled out her Pokédex to see about Scizor.

"Scizor, the Pincer Pokémon, and the evolved form of Scyther. Scizor has a body with the hardness of steel. Ordinary sorts of attacks do not easily phase it. This Pokémon flaps its wings to regulate its body temperature."

"Scizor, use quick attack!"

"Meganium, use reflect!"

Scizor hit Meganium's reflect and took recoil. Meganium used dragon tail. Scizor flew across the field, but was able to knock Meganium out with a flash cannon. Grace returned Meganium and fell to her knees. Juniper, Tracey, and Max took her out of the Contest Hall.

"I was on a winning streak! I had four ribbons before most people had one or two. Now I'm just a loser again!" Grace cried.

"You can't always win." Juniper said.

Max decided to go to the Mossdeep Gym, and Grace, Tracey, and Juniper decided to come along. Max challenged Tate and Liza.

"Okay, Lunatone, go!" Liza yelled.

"Solrock, I choose you!" Tate said.

Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Lunatone, the Meteorite Pokémon. Its health ebbs and flows with the lunar cycle. It brims with power when exposed to the light of the full moon.

"Solrock, the Meteorite Pokémon. Sunlight is the source of Solrock's power. It is said to possess the ability to read the emotions of others. This Pokémon gives off intense heat while rotating its body."

"I suspected you would choose those two. I choose Tentacruel and Grovyle!" Max said.

Solrock and Lunatone both used tackle, and Tentacruel hit Solrock with hydro pump. Grovyle hit Lunatone with leaf blade. Lunatone used ice beam on Grovyle and Solrock used solar beam on Tentacruel. The two were badly hurt by the attacks. Grovyle used giga impact on Lunatone and Tentacruel used skull bash on Solrock. Finally, the two finished off the Psychic-types with a combo of bubblebeam and bullet seed. Max was awarded the Mind Badge!

"That was easy!" Max laughed as he left with his friends. Grace broke down in tears.

"That was so easy for you and you have only been doing this for a few months! I have been in contests for over a year and half and I still can't win!" Grace screamed. Max grabbed Grace's bag and pulled out her ribbon case.

"You have won four times. The Mauville Ribbon: your first win. You were relatively new to Hoenn but you were able to pull through and win it. The Johto-Hoenn Interregional Ribbon: one of the biggest contests of the year. You were able to beat all of those coordinators; many of them were extremely experienced! The Ever Grande Ribbon: this was a huge contest. You even won a rare Pokéball after _beating_ Cierra in it! This was a huge win. The North Petalburg Ribbon: I wasn't even there to cheer you on and you still won! You are telling me that these straight wins were failures, just because of two little losses? That is untrue." Max preached. Grace smiled.

"You're right! The next contest I compete in, I'm gonna win!" Grace yelled.

When they got back to the hotel, Grace started reading through the upcoming contests. She decided that the Sootopolis City Contest would be a good one, as Max's next gym badge is there. Max and Grace had a small practice battle between Slugma and Volbeat. Slugma evolved into Magcargo after the battle. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Magcargo, the Lava Pokémon. Its brittle shell occasionally spouts intense flames that circulate throughout its body."

"Okay, so to get to Sootopolis, you will need to go through Izabe Island." Tracey pointed out on a map.

They spent another two days in the triple-deluxe suite. Oak bought them ferry tickets from Mossdeep to Izabe's main port, Purika City, and even took the trouble of pre-planning their entire trip through Izabe. Oak handed Grace her itinerary.

"Okay, Grace, you and Max will take the ferry to Purika. You guys need to get through Izabe within a week. I have reserved rooms at a couple of Pokémon Centers, and their addresses are on the itinerary. Your ferry tickets to Sootopolis are for next week, so you have to be there at exactly this time..." Oak said while pointing at the times on the paper. Grace put her copy into her backpack. Max did the same with his copy. Max pulled out Forretress's Pokéball.

"Prof. Oak, I want you to take my Forretress. There is a Pokémon on Izabe I promised to catch." Max said, handing him Forretress's ball.

"Okay! I'm sure Forretress will be thrilled to see Skiploom, Totodile, and Stantler again!" Oak said.

Juniper, Oak, Tracey, Max, and Grace all walked to Mossdeep's south port. Max and Grace went onto the ferry and waved goodbye.

The ferry arrived late that night and Grace and Max went to the rooms at the Pokémon Center that Oak reserved. Max was excited to catch the Pokémon he was thinking about for years. Over the next few days of walking, Grace looked at her itinerary and saw that Oak got them a room at a beach resort for almost two days.

"Oak got us a day at the Izabe beach resort for two nights! Afterwards, the resort's shuttle can take us straight to Cerosi Town, and then we will still have a day to enjoy ourselves there!" Grace said happily.

They arrived at the beautiful resort and checked into their room. After staying over the night, they decided to spend the entire day at the beach. They went down to the beach and Max ran towards the water. They let out Goldeen and Tentacruel. Gulpin and Pikachu played in the shallows. Suddenly, a Corsola, a Staryu, and a Horsea popped up from the water. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Corsola, the Coral Pokémon. Clusters of Corsola congregate in warm seas where they serve as ideal hiding places for smaller Pokémon. When the water temperature falls, this Pokémon migrates to the southern seas."

"Staryu, the Star Shape Pokémon. Staryu's center section has an organ called the core that shines bright red. If you go to a beach toward the end of summer, the glowing cores of these Pokémon look like the stars in the sky.

"Horsea, the Dragon Pokémon. If attacked by a larger enemy, it quickly swims to safety by adeptly controlling its dorsal fin."

"I'm sorry if my Pokémon are bothering you!" a familiar voice rang. Max turned around.

"Misty? Wow! What are you doing here?" Max said.

"Wow! Max! You've gotten so big! I didn't expect to see anybody here that I knew," Misty said with a smile, "I am here because I'm on my way to Sootopolis to see Wallace. We are discussing the possibility of holding the next Wallace Cup in Cerulean!"

"Oh my goodness! You are Misty!" Grace said, "You are like the coolest person ever! I went to see one of your water ballets a few years ago! You are so awesome! I should have known Max knew you. I saw a picture of you and May together."

Max introduced Misty to Grace. Max explained that they were en route to Sootopolis, too, so they all decided to travel together.

"Hey, Misty, do you think that we could have a battle?" Grace asked.

"Of course, Grace! There is actually a water battlefield by the pools!" Misty said. Grace was so happy. They started their battle.

"Goldeen, take the stage!" Grace said.

"In that case, I choose Goldeen, too!" Misty yelled. The two Goldeen looked ready to battle.

"Use skull bash!" Grace said.

"Dodge and use water gun!" Misty said. Her Goldeen dodged with ease and hit Grace's with a hard blow to the face.

"Tackle!" Grace said.

Misty's Goldeen easily dodged the attack and used fury attack, sending Grace's onto the small area of land in the center of the battlefield. Just as Max was going to call the first round to Misty, Grace's Goldeen started to evolve. Grace started to jump up and down.

"My very own Seaking! I have wanted this for so long!" Grace yelled, "Seaking, in the water and use horn drill on Goldeen!"

"Goldeen, use agility to dodge and then horn attack!" Misty commanded. Goldeen did as told and threw Seaking to the bottom of the pool. Seaking tried to land a megahorn on Goldeen, but Goldeen finished it with horn drill.

"Okay, then I choose Pikachu!" Grace yelled.

"What a pretty Pikachu! I knew somebody with a Pikachu!" Misty said, blushing. She and Max looked at each other and nodded. Grace figured it was some type of inside joke.

"Pikachu, shock the water with electric terrain!" Grace yelled. Goldeen was hurt badly by the attack.

"Goldeen, push Pikachu into the water!" Misty yelled, desperate.

Goldeen jumped out of the water and sent Pikachu flying into it. Luckily, Pikachu used surf before going under and slid across the top. Pikachu used draining kiss on Goldeen and knocked it out. Misty sent out Staryu, who landed on the small area of land in the battlefield. Staryu immediately used double-edge and sent Pikachu into the water. Pikachu jumped out and used flying press, but Staryu's harden minimized damage and made Pikachu recoil and faint.

"Final Pokémon! Go, Meganium!" Grace yelled.

Meganium easily overcame Staryu after several razor leaf attacks. Misty smiled after returning her fainted Pokémon.

"Go, Psyduck, I choose you!" Misty yelled.

Psyduck landed right in front of Meganium. It looked up at the larger Pokémon, confused as to where it was. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon. Psyduck uses a mysterious power. When it does so, this Pokémon generates brain waves that are supposedly only seen in sleepers. This discovery spurred controversy among scholars."

"Meganium, use your strongest vine whip!" she yelled.

Meganium repeatedly whipped Psyduck on its head. Grace was wondering why Misty wasn't commanding another move. Meganium started wrapping its vines around Psyduck's head. Psyduck started letting out a low moan and it closed its eyes.

"Psyduck, use psybeam!" Misty said.

Psyduck swiftly opened its eyes, which were glowing hot pink. It opened its mouth and let out a powerful pink beam of energy, immediately knocking out Meganium. Misty returned Psyduck. Grace didn't even care that she lost: she battled one of her idols _and_ got her dream Seaking.

"Thank you for that battle, Misty!" Grace said.

"You're welcome! I know you didn't win, and this isn't an official battle, but I want you to have this as a gift!" Misty said, handing Grace a Cascade Badge. Grace thanked Misty and pinned it onto her shirt. It matched her skirt perfectly!

The next day, the group took the shuttle all the way to Cerosi Town. Misty suggested another beach day, but Max insisted they go to the woods just outside the town. There was something he had to do.

They entered the forest and soon stumbled upon a Pokémon Center. Max looked around, and Grace screamed.

"That Kirlia must be the cutest thing I have ever seen! I'm gonna catch it! Volbeat help me out!" Grace said. Max gasped in horror.

Volbeat used ice punch, but Kirlia used safeguard. Max got really angry.

"No you don't Grace! Grovyle, come on out and use bullet seed!" he yelled.

The bullet seed attack hit Grace and Volbeat.

"What was that for? Jealous that I'm going to catch Kirlia?" Grace asked. Max became infuriated. Misty didn't know how to react to Max's behavior.

"Grovyle, get Grace with a dragon claw!" Max yelled.

Grovyle hesitated but ran after Grace anyway. Grace screamed as she ran away. Grovyle eventually cornered Grace against a tree. Max ordered Grovyle to keep Grace there. He turned to Kirlia, smiling. He knew she was the same one.

"I can't believe you evolved!" Max yelled. Kirlia jumped into his arms and they hugged. "Do you still want to travel with me? I kept my promise, didn't I?"

Kirlia started nodding fast. Misty and Grace were both extremely confused. Max pulled out an empty Pokéball, tapped it against Kirlia's forehead, and captured her. Max hugged the Pokéball tightly. Soon, he returned Grovyle and explained to Misty and Grace the importance of the capture.

"When I was travelling with my sister, we found this Kirlia as a Ralts. Long story short, I promised her that I would be back to capture her after I became a trainer. That is why I got so upset when you tried to capture her. Sorry!" Max explained.

The next day, Max, Grace, and Misty got on the ferry. Max could hardly wait to get his eighth badge!


	11. Hoenn: Chapter 11

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 11: Pokémon Rangers to Action!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

 **Background:** This chapter is the equivalent of a 45-minute special in the anime. It will be slightly longer than other chapters.

Max, Misty, and Grace were in the waiting room of the Sootopolis City Contest Hall. Grace was all registered and just waiting for the coordinators to be called backstage. Misty and Max got up to get seats in the audience. They wished her good luck and exited the room. It wasn't long after that Grace and the other coordinators were called back to get ready.

Max and Misty looked out into the stage and thought the stage was much more beautiful than any other contest stage they had ever seen. It was basically the same as any other stage, but the ground was bright blue and it had a flower-shaped pool in the center. Above the stage was a large glass dome and to the left and right sides of the stage there were giant windows. The judges were the Sootopolis Nurse Joy, Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and the guest judge, Juan, the Gym Leader.

Each coordinator had great technique. Grace came out and Max and Misty cheered loudly.

"Okay, Seaking, the curtain's up!" Grace yelled.

Seaking came out of her ball and jumped way up and then landed perfectly in the center of the pool. Grace jumped over the pool and Seaking jumped up, sending Grace high into the air. Seaking then used water gun, sending Grace high into the air. Misty and Max thought it was beautiful. Joy gave her a 9.9, Contesta gave her a 8.9, Sukizo gave her a 9.5, and Juan gave her a 8.5. Grace was up for the second round: the double-battle round.

The stage was completely swapped. It was now solid blue with no pool at all.

"I hope Grace does well!" Misty said.

"I know she will! She has been really pumped about this contest." Max said.

Meanwhile, nearby, Team Aqua was in an underwater cavern near Sootopolis. The cavern was an underwater cave, but at the end there was an air pocket and a small island. There was a small shrine on it. The shrine had a statue of Manaphy holding out its arms. According to legend, if they put Kyogre's blue orb in its hands, the area that holds Sootopolis City would become 'claimed by the sea.' Team Aqua had lured Kyogre into the cavern. The orb was located inside its mouth, but Kyogre wasn't about to give it up. Its hydro pump and hyperbeam attacks were damaging the cave.

"We have to get the orb!" Archie, the leader of Team Aqua, yelled at his admins, Shelly and Matt.

Kyogre was trapped in the air pocket area of the cave, as Team Aqua submarines and nets were blocking the exit. It was thrashing in the water and repeatedly banging into the small island.

"Okay, Archie! Corsola, Corphish, get the orb from Kyogre!" Shelly yelled.

"Sealeo, Magikarp, go!" Matt said.

The Water-types attacked Kyogre, but their attacks barely hurt it. They tried to get the orb from Kyogre's mouth, but Kyogre was too quick. Some grunts had their Pokémon out, and Archie's Crobat kept swooping down, trying to get the orb from Kyogre whenever it surfaced, but Kyogre usually used hyperbeam when it surfaces. Archie was getting tired of this.

"This cave is going to collapse if this keeps on happening. This island is shaking so much that the statue is going to collapse! Get your Pokémon out of the water! I have an idea." Archie yelled. The grunts and admins returned their Pokémon. Archie threw out two Pokéballs. "Starmie, Gyarados, go!"

Starmie and Gyarados both landed at the edge of the water. Archie commanded they both use thunderbolt and they shocked the water. Kyogre screamed. Suddenly, the orb started glowing bright and so did Kyogre. Archie gasped at what he saw. Kyogre underwent Primal Reversion!

"Give me more electricity!" Archie yelled.

"Mightyena! Double thunderbolt!" Shelly and Matt both yelled. Both of their Mightyena used powerful electric attacks. They ordered a female grunt named Maiah to help out.

"Sableye and Dusknoir, use thunderbolt, too!" Maiah yelled as she sent out four Sableye and a Dusknoir.

The electricity in the water was too much for Primal Kyogre. The Team Aqua submarines couldn't take much either. Primal Kyogre opened its mouth. Shelly sent out her Lanturn, who retrieved the orb in the electrified water. Lanturn handed it to Archie, who laughed morbidly. They allowed Primal Kyogre to leave the cave. Kyogre was injured and weak.

"Sir, Primal Kyogre will not be able to revert to its normal form without the orb!" Matt said.

"We will return the orb… after we return Sootopolis to the sea, where it belongs!" Archie laughed. Shelly, Matt, and the other grunts returned their Pokémon.

Archie approached the Manaphy shrine. He gently placed the orb into Manaphy's arms. Just as the orb and Manaphy's eyes started glowing bright blue, a Milotic crashed into Archie. Wallace shot out of the water and ran towards the orb to retrieve it. Shelly ran towards Wallace.

"Corsola, use tackle on Wallace!" she yelled, throwing out Corsola. Corsola hit Wallace hard. Matt's Mightyena used a strong thunderbolt on Milotic, who flew into the water. Corsola pushed Wallace into the water.

Wallace grabbed Milotic and Team Aqua submarines started shooting at the two. Wallace was able to leave the cavern and reach Sootopolis, which was starting to flood quickly. He made it to the Sootopolis Defense League's HQ. The Sootopolis Defense League was a group specifically made to protect Sootopolis from Team Aqua's evil intentions to return the city to the sea. He went to the control room, where Officer Jenny was working tirelessly on commanding rescue efforts.

"Team Aqua got the orb from Kyogre. Nor Kyogre is stuck in its Primal Form and is injured. It is guarding the cavern, so I do not know how we will be able to get back in there! They are sending grunts to the city now to make sure we don't go back. In a few hours, the city will be completely underwater!"

"Lets notify Juan. He is at a contest, but we can get him on his PokéGear. I think we should get the Rangers out there…" Jenny said. She took out her PokéGear and texted Juan. She then picked up a phone. "Hello? Is this the Rangers department? Sootopolis is in trouble. We are flooding fast and grunts are coming. Pokémon Rangers to action! We need _all_ Pokémon Rangers to action to rescue and help solve our problem!"

Wallace nodded to Jenny. The two ran to the emergency center and mounted a speedboat. They flew out into the flooded streets, searching for any injured people or Team Aqua grunts.

It was Grace's turn to battle. She was up against a girl named Clarisse.

"Dustox, Pikachu, the curtain's up!" Grace yelled.

"Delcatty, Grumpig, go!" Clarisse said. Max pulled out his Pokémon at Grumpig.

"Grumpig, the Manipulate Pokémon, and the evolved form of Spoink. It uses black pearls to amplify its psycho-power. It does an odd dance to gain control over foes."

The battle was absolutely gorgeous. The judges had never seen a more gorgeous battle. Juan's PokéGear rang and he blushed. After looking at it, his face turned pale. Suddenly, the giant window to the right of the battlefield shattered and water poured into the stage, engulfing Grace, Pikachu, Dustox, Clarisse, Grumpig, and Delcatty. Juan threw out a Pokéball containing a Milotic to help save the people. Sent out her Staryu, Horsea, and Goldeen and dove in after them to help out. Max ran to the edge of the stage. All of the people and Pokémon were successfully returned to the dry area of the stadium. The Contest Hall started rapidly filling with water.

"Remain calm," Nurse Joy yelled, "Everybody please calmly proceed to the roof!"

"I have to go!" Juan said. He jumped on his Milotic's back and quickly jetted away. Misty wanted answers to what was going on. She threw out Staryu and jumped onto its back, following Juan.

"Wait!" Max and Grace yelled. Max sent out Tentacruel and jumped on its head and Grace sent out Seaking and let Seaking push her. Soon, they were all together.

"Juan, why is there all of this water?" Misty asked. Juan explained the entire situation to her.

"Why does Team Aqua want the seas to take over Sootopolis?" Max asked.

"They want human civilizations in Hoenn to be destroyed so Pokémon can reclaim the land." Juan answered.

"How do we stop this?" Grace asked.

"Well, there is a Manaphy shrine in a cavern being guarded by Primal Kyogre. If we remove the blue orb it is holding, the water will recede. But, if we are too late, the city will be completely washed away. But you kids cannot help! It is too dangerous! Once we get to the Sootopolis Defense League's HQ, you will be staying there." Juan said. This offended Misty.

"I happen to be the Gym Leader of Cerulean City!" she said.

"Okay, fine, _maybe_ you can help." Juan said with a wink.

They all reached the HQ. The flooding was so bad that they had to enter through the window of the fifth story. Even though they were high up, they were still ankle-deep in water. They ran up a few flights of stairs until they reached the control center. People were typing like crazy and alarms were going off.

"Wallace and Officer Jenny need you, Juan!" somebody yelled.

Juan, Misty, Max, and Grace ran out of the room to find an exit. Suddenly, two male Team Aqua grunts jumped into the building from a window.

"Go, Grimer!" one yelled.

"I choose Ekans!" the other said.

Max and Misty were about to send their Pokémon out, when a powerful bubble attack hit the Pokémon. They were returned and the grunts were sent out the window by a powerful focus punch by a Poliwhirl. The grunts landed on a Sharpedo and a Lanturn, respectively, and the Pokémon swam away.

"We have to move!" yelled a girl in a strange outfit. She was a Pokémon Ranger! Her Poliwhirl immediately lost interest in what was going on and disappeared into the flooded streets.

"Your Poliwhirl ran away!" Misty said, alarmed.

"That isn't my Poliwhirl! I was just temporarily harnessing its abilities! I'm a Ranger… I am Lara!" She said.

Soon, she jumped out the window along with the rest of the group. They all sent out their Pokémon to help them swim, and Lara used her styler to control a nearby Marill. The group started towards the open ocean.

"The other Rangers are battling Aqua grunts. Luckily, because the water is flooding in, many Pokémon are coming with it, so battling is easy. Also, Wallace and Jenny are on the way to the cavern to get the orb." Lara said. Suddenly, two female Aqua grunts, one on a Tentacool and the other on a Relicanth, jetted towards them. They sent out a Grimer and an Ekans. Max and Juan pulled out their Pokéballs.

"Go, Kirlia!" Max said.

"I choose Luvdisc!" Juan said.

Luvdisc used a powerful blizzard attack on the two Pokémon. Kirlia jumped on the windowsill of a nearby building and used growl. The Aqua grunts returned their Pokémon. Kirlia used psychic to wash them away with a wave and Luvdisc assisted with surf. The team proceeded on and Max and Juan returned the two Pokémon. Soon, they reached the open ocean. There were Team Aqua submarines surfaced farther out.

"How are we going to find the underwater cavern?" Grace asked, gripping onto Seaking as the strong waves crashed into them.

"Do any of your Pokémon know supersonic?" Juan asked.

"My Tentacruel and Grace's Seaking both know it." Max said.

"Well, once we get past those submarines, Seaking and Tentacruel can use their supersonic attacks to find it." Juan said.

Suddenly, a submarine popped open and two female grunts flew out and landed on their Pokémon: a Relicanth and a Tentacool. They started racing towards the group, each taking out a Pokéball. Misty let go of her Staryu and started treading. Lara held on tighter to Marill and sent her styler at a nearby Pelipper, capturing it.

"I choose Weezing!" the one on the Tentacool said.

"Go, Banette!" the one on the Relicanth yelled.

"Staryu, use bubblebeam!" Misty commanded.

"Pelipper, wing attack!" Lara said.

The grunts returned their Pokémon and commanded the Relicanth and Tentacool to start back towards the sub.

"No! We cannot let them return to the sub! We must go into the sub and take it over so we can get to the cavern! None of us will be able to withstand the pressure of the deep ocean or hold our breath long enough to make it without a submarine! Milotic, use whirlpool!" Juan said.

The two grunts were soon trapped in a whirlpool and the team started towards the submarine. It was absolutely ginormous. They were able to mount it, and they all returned their Pokémon, except Grace and Max, who left Seaking and Tentacruel out and told them what to do. Lara commanded Marill and Pelipper to come in with them. Upon entering, they saw three grunts. One sent out a Feraligatr, and one sent out two Poochyena and a Seviper. Max's Kirlia, Grovyle, and Gulpin quickly took care of them and sent them out of the sub. Juan skillfully closed the hatch and started driving it.

"It's so cool that you can drive a submarine!" Misty said.

"Thank you. Yes, I learned at quite a young age." Juan said.

Seaking and Tentacruel both started using supersonic and led the sub downwards. After a long time of moving, they were very deep down. It was quite murky and dark. Juan looked suspicious.

"I have been to this depth in my own submarine numerous times… there is usually hundreds of Chinchou, Lanturn, and Relicanth down here, amongst others. I don't understand why there aren't any now." He said.

Juan looked down on the controls. There was a screen that said all of the properties of the water and their location.

"Yes, three miles off of Sootopolis… water quality is pristine… a depth of 3,000 feet… but why is the temperature so high? It should be freezing down here!" Juan muttered to himself.

Tentacruel and Seaking suddenly stopped. They started motioning up. Juan started the sub up, and after a while, it was bright again. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Wallace's Milotic was battling Primal Kyogre! Juan pulled out his PokéGear and called Officer Jenny.

"Hello?" she said.

"I am below Wallace and his Milotic right now. Why are they battling Primal Kyogre?" Juan said, angry.

"Primal Kyogre is scared and angry. It will not let us get through to the cavern, and it even attacked us! Wallace is trying to tire it out so we can pass, but it looks to me like he is losing really bad!" Jenny said.

Juan looked up at the scene. Milotic was trying everything it could! Its safeguard could only protect it so much, and Wallace had to continuously come up for air. They were probably going to lose. It took everything Juan had to make his next decision. He turned to Misty.

"I presume you know how to drive a boat. A submarine is just like a boat. I need you all to get the blue orb. I need to help Wallace. Max, I need your Kirlia to teleport me out." Juan said.

"But, we don't know what to do! How will we defeat Team Aqua without you?" Max asked.

"I know you can. Please, I must help my friend." Juan said. Max understood.

"Kirlia, teleport Juan above the water, then you teleport back here!" Max said.

Kirlia jumped onto Juan's neck and used Teleport. Kirlia reappeared within seconds and they saw Juan dive into the water, right next to Wallace. He sent out his Milotic, Luvdisc, and Kingdra. The four Pokémon all attacked Primal Kyogre.

Misty was given Juan's PokéGear to hold and she struggled to follow Tentacruel and Seaking. Eventually, they were back down to their original depth and found a large cave. They followed the two Pokémon into it, and eventually got to the air pocket and surfaced. They opened the hatch and looked to the small island. In front of the Manaphy shrine were Archie, Matt, and Shelly. Lara explained who they were to Max, Grace, and Misty. The team jumped onto the small island.

" _You_ are who that Sootopolis Defense League sent? Pathetic!" Archie laughed.

"Oh yeah? Well I hope your ready to give that orb back, or we will show you what we are made of!" Misty threatened. Archie laughed even louder. He lifted his hand, summoning a male grunt to send out a Drapion and a Blastoise. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Drapion, the Ogre Scorpion Pokémon, and the evolved form of Skuropi. It takes great pride in its strength. Even though it can tear foes apart, it finishes them off with powerful poison."

"Blastoise, the Shellfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Wartortle. It firmly plants its feet on the ground before shooting water from the jets on its back."

"Grovyle, bullet seed! Gulpin, sludge! After, get the orb!" Max yelled.

The two large Pokémon were hit hard. The Pokémon ran towards the orb. Archie sent out a Kingler and a Muk, which stopped Max's Pokémon. Lara sent her two Pokémon after the orb and Misty sent out her Staryu. Archie's Seadra suddenly shot out of the water and used its bubble attack to hit each of the Pokémon.

Grovyle used leaf blade on Kingler, and Kingler used vicegrip on Grovyle. Gulpin used rock smash on Muk, but it was barely affected. Kirlia teleported to the orb, but it was hit with Seadra's bubble and sent flying. Suddenly, Gulpin started glowing, and evolved to Swalot. Grace took out her Pokédex.

"Swalot, the Poison Bag Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gulpin. It swallows anything whole. It sweats toxic fluids from its follicles to douse foes."

Max started feeling confident. He commanded it to use sludge, but it didn't. He commanded a poison gas, but again it didn't listen. It wasn't trying to be rebellious, it was just not motivated. Max returned it, disappointed by what happened. Grace decided it was her turn to try.

"Munna, go! Use hypnosis!" Grace yelled. Munna was able to make all of the Aqua members and their Pokémon go to sleep! Grace cheered.

"Grace! You did it!" Misty said.

Suddenly, two Milotic busted out of the water. Another submarine surfaced, and Wallace, Jenny, and Juan exited.

"I can't believe you defeated them!" Juan said. Wallace ran to the Manaphy shrine and picked up the orb. The orb stopped glowing, and so did Manaphy's eyes.

"Thank you, Misty, Max, Grace, and Lara!" Juan said.

"Well, we all helped, but it was Grace's Munna that put them to sleep!" Misty said.

They soon all returned to the Sootopolis Defense League's HQ. The water was slowly receding. Jenny put the people in a line.

"Misty, Lara, Max, and Grace. You all receive Sootopolis City's Hero's Medal of Bravery!" Jenny said as she put the medals around each of their necks. Wallace and Juan soon entered.

"What you did was amazing!" Wallace said, "Misty, we will have our meeting about the Wallace Cup in three days to a week. I have to help with the Sootopolis cleanup."

"Max, I am also going to be helping with the cleanup also. I know you will be challenging my gym, so maybe you can come in three days?" Juan said.

"That sounds great!" Max said.

Soon, they were given rooms on one of the undamaged floors of the Sootopolis Hotel, which was a very nice hotel. Max looked out onto the ocean, only to see Wallace's Milotic in the ocean. Milotic reached Primal Kyogre, gave it the blue orb, and Kyogre reverted to its normal self.

All that was left of the flood were large puddles. Max saw many rangers, led by Lara, cleaning. He could also see Jenny directing traffic. He thought about all the events of the day. But most of all, he could only think about getting his eighth badge!


	12. Hoenn: Chapter 12

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 12: Water-type Time**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Swalot didn't listen! After hours of trying to get it to do anything, Max realized that Swalot had no motivation to do anything! After telling it that he would give it berries if it battled, Swalot finally started listening, and proved a great fighter.

It had been two days. Max, Misty, and Grace were between training and helping repair the city. It was finally time for Max's battle against Juan. Juan's official valet took he, Grace, and Misty to a ferry that was going to bring them to the gym.

"I can't wait for my battle!" Max yelled.

"While you are doing that, Wallace and I will be discussing the Wallace Cup! I really hope I can convince him to take it to Cerulean City. The last one was in Humilau City, Unova. Hey, Grace, if I convince him to take it to Kanto, will you come and participate?" Misty said.

"I would love to!" Grace exclaimed.

Soon, they were at the beautiful gym. Wallace and Juan met them at the entrance. Misty went with Wallace and Max and Grace both went with Juan. Grace found a comfy seat on the side of the battle. The referee started with his speech, which was very different from the other gyms.

"This battle is between challenger Max from Petalburg City and Juan the Gym Leader! The first round will be a double-battle. If both Pokémon on one side are unable to continue, the other side will win. After that, it will be three single-battles. The challenger can substitute Pokémon. The Gym Leader may not substitute Pokémon." The ref said. Max was confused.

"So, first we use two Pokémon at once, and then we do a basic three-on-three? That's just like when Ash battled you!" Max exclaimed.

"Correct! Now lets start. Lanturn, Azumarill, lets go!" Juan said. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Azumarill, the Aqua Rabbit Pokémon, and the evolved form of Marill. It lives in water virtually all day long. Its body color and pattern act as camouflage that makes it tough for enemies to spot in water."

"Kirlia, Tentacruel, I choose you!" Max yelled.

Kirlia landed right on top of Tentacruel. Lanturn and Azumarill were side-by-side. The battlefield was completely water. There was no land whatsoever, so Kirlia would have very little chance by herself.

"Okay, lets begin, Azumarill and Lanturn, both use bubble!" Juan yelled.

"Kirlia, teleport behind them and Tentacruel use supersonic!" Max commanded.

Kirlia and Tentacruel teleported behind them and Tentacruel used a powerful supersonic. Lanturn and Azumarill both got confused. Tentacruel used skull bash, sending the two flying. They both hit the bottom of the pool and snapped out of their confusion. Lanturn came up with a takedown attack, hitting Tentacruel and sending Kirlia into the water. Azumarill grabbed Kirlia and pulled her under. Kirlia teleported back onto Tentacruel and used growl. Lanturn and Azumarill cringed at Kirlia's growl as Tentacruel covered its ears.

"Kirlia, use shadow ball! Tentacruel, use aurora beam!" Max commanded.

Lanturn and Azumarill both used protect. Azumarill used superpower, throwing Tentacruel. Kirlia landed in the water. Lanturn started swimming to grab Kirlia, but Kirlia used double team. After Lanturn started grabbing several fake Kirlia, the real Kirlia teleported back onto Tentacruel. Tentacruel used poison sting, hurting the two enemies. Kirlia used icy wind on Azumarill and then fire punch on Lanturn. Tentacruel used hydro pump on Azumarill.

"Okay, this battle has been going on long enough," Juan said, "Azumarill, use bounce out of the water. Lanturn, use thunder!"

Azumarill bounced off the bottom of the pool and to the ceiling. Lanturn used a powerful thunder attack on the water, knocking out both Tentacruel and Kirlia. Azumarill landed back in the water.

"The first round is awarded to the Gym Leader. Now Wallace must return one of his two Pokémon!" the referee yelled. Suddenly, land rose out of the water, making the battlefield half land and half water.

"Azumarill, return." Juan said.

"Okay, I choose Grovyle!" Max screamed. Grovyle landed perfectly on his feet.

"Lanturn, use bubble." Juan said.

"Grovyle, dodge and use energy ball!" Max commanded.

The energy ball hit Lanturn hard.

"Okay, Lanturn, use stockpile." Juan said.

Lanturn's antennae light glowed bright and a shiny coat of energy washed over its whole body. Within seconds, the coat disappeared. Grace pulled out her Pokédex to learn more about stockpile.

"Stockpile. This move is of the Normal-type. The user charges up power, and raises both its Defense and Special Defense. The move can be used three times."

"Grovyle, use bullet seed!" Max commanded.

"Lanturn, dodge by going underwater. Then use another stockpile." Juan said calmly.

Lanturn went underwater. The bullet seeds exploded after hitting the surface of the water. Lanturn used stockpile once more. Grovyle used several energy ball attacks, but Lanturn skillfully dodged underwater. Lanturn used stockpile one last time. Max had enough of this.

"Grovyle, use leaf blade on Lanturn when it surfaces." Max said. Grovyle got its leaf blades ready.

"Lanturn, come to the surface." Juan said.

Lanturn surfaced and Grovyle jumped high into the air. He then came down towards Lanturn.

"Spit up, Lanturn." Juan said.

Lanturn started glowing and a beam of energy hit Grovyle hard as he flew at Lanturn. The energy beam made Grovyle fly onto the ground. He almost fainted, but managed to get up.

"Use bubble to finish this!" Juan said.

Lanturn used an extremely powerful bubble that hit Grovyle with full force. Surprisingly, Grovyle still didn't faint! Suddenly Grovyle opened its mouth. A large purple ball formed, which exploded into what looked like a purple flamethrower. It hit the water and exploded several times. More than half of the water evaporated. Lanturn was defeated. Max took out his Pokédex.

"Dragon Breath. This move is of the Dragon-type. The user exhales a mighty gust that inflicts damage. This may also leave the target with paralysis."

"Wow! Grovyle learned dragon breath!" Max cheered. Suddenly, Grovyle started glowing. He evolved into Sceptile! "I have a Sceptile! I have a Sceptile!"

Max was cheering and jumping up and down. Grace decided to check it out with her Pokédex.

"Sceptile, the Forest Pokémon, and the evolved form of Grovyle. The leaves that grow on its arms can slice down thick trees. It is without peer in jungle combat."

"I can't believe I have my very own Sceptile! And it knows dragon breath!" Max screamed.

"Let's resume this battle. Azumarill, I choose you!" Juan said. Just as he said that, Misty walked into the room and sat next to Grace.

"Grace, Wallace agreed to have the battle in Cerulean! I am coming back in two days to discuss it further. How is Max's battle going?" Misty asked.

"Well, Max's Tentacruel and Kirlia lost to Wallace's Azumarill and Lanturn. Max's Grovyle knocked out Lanturn with a dragon breath and then evolved. Now it's up against Azumarill. Max has three Pokémon left, counting Sceptile. Wallace has four counting Azumarill." Grace explained.

"Okay, Sceptile, use bullet seed!" Max screamed.

"Protect, Azumarill. Then use bubble." Juan commanded.

Azumarill's bubble was extremely effective. Max knew he had to do something drastic to win.

"Use dragon breath!" Max yelled.

Sceptile opened his mouth and a purple sphere formed. Suddenly, the sphere exploded and backfired on Sceptile, making it faint.

"I guess Sceptile hasn't mastered that move yet," Juan laughed, "You only have two Pokémon left. Choose wisely."

"Gligar, I choose you!" Max said.

"Azumarill, use hydro pump please." Juan said.

"Dodge and use dark pulse!" Max said.

The dark pulse hit Azumarill hard. Gligar flew at Azumarill. Azumarill grabbed Gligar and pulled it underwater. Gligar fainted.

"Gligar return. I choose you, Swalot!" Max said.

"Your Swalot better be a good fighter! I still have Azumarill and three more waiting for you!" Juan said.

"Use sludge in the water to poison the pool!" Max said.

The sludge attack made the water murky and purple. Azumarill was poisoned.

Azumarill was commanded to use bubble, but it didn't because of the poison. Swalot used solar beam, defeating Azumarill.

"Azumarill, you fought hard," Juan said to Azumarill's Pokéball, "Now its Kingdra's turn!"

"Swalot, use pound!" Max said.

Swalot's pound had little effect. The poisoned water didn't seem to bother Kingdra either.

"Kingdra, use bubble!" Juan said.

The bubble hit hard, but Swalot returned the attack with sludge. Kingdra used dragon pulse, knocking it out.

"Kingdra has defeated Swalot! This victory goes to Juan, the Gym Leader!" the ref called.

Max returned Swalot. He looked at his feet, upset by his loss. He walked away and Misty ran after him She stopped him.

"Max! Don't worry about this loss! Do you know how many gym battles Ash lost? He didn't even finish his gym battle against me!" Misty said. Max smiled.

"You're right! There is no use worrying about one loss!" Max said. Grace ran over to them.

"Max! Juan told me that you could train more at the Sootopolis Battle Club! He even gave us free passes!" Grace said. She handed a pass to Misty and Max.

"Great! I can't wait!" Max yelled.

With that Max, Misty, and Grace went back to their hotel. The next day, Max was going to train at the Battle Club!


	13. Hoenn: Chapter 13

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 13: Mastering that Move!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max, Misty, and Grace entered the Sootopolis Battle Club. After having their tickets scanned, they were escorted inside the battle areas. It was huge. There were locker rooms taking up a large part, a small lobby, and then countless battlefields. Upon entering the locker rooms to put their things away, Grace spotted Cierra, Colby, and a much older guy sitting together on a bench. The older guy was in his late teens. He looked quite normal and had dark brown hair and green eyes. Grace, Misty, and Max approached them.

"So you two are friends now?" Grace asked. Colby and Cierra glared at them.

"We were practicing together, so I guess so. What are you doing here anyway, loser?" Cierra asked.

"I'm helping Max train for his gym battle rematch against Juan." Grace said.

"What? I already won my Rain Badge. Max, you have to hurry. The Ever Grande Conference is in two months." Colby said.

"Yeah, I got mine, too. I'm just practicing for the Grand Festival." Cierra snickered.

"I got mine. It's okay that you didn't get it though! You can do it!" the guy they didn't know said. He was too friendly to be hanging around with Cierra and Colby.

"What's your name?" Max asked.

"I'm Dylan! I'm from the Sinnoh region!" Dylan said.

They all introduced themselves. The loud speaker called Dylan to the lobby. The person at the desk told him that he was paired up for a battle with a woman named Amethyst.

"Finally!" Dylan said.

"I thought that you could battle whoever you want." Misty said.

"Well, you can, but whenever you want to battle somebody you don't know, you can tell the desk and they will set you up. Its how I met Dylan." Cierra said. She was holding Casty in her arms.

Misty, Cierra, Max, Grace, and Colby went with Dylan to his assigned battlefield and sat down on the bench. Amethyst came out. It was to be a two-on-two match.

"Go, Lunatone!" Amethyst yelled.

"I choose you, Lileep!" Dylan said.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Grace asked herself. Cierra rolled her eyes.

"Lileep, the Sea Lily Pokémon. Lileep became extinct approximately a hundred million years ago. This ancient Pokémon attaches itself to a rock on the seafloor and catches approaching prey using tentacles shaped like flower petals."

"Wow! A fossil Pokémon!" Max yelled.

Lunatone started with a tackle. Lileep used astonish, followed by a stockpile. Max knew what was coming next. After two more stockpiles, Lileep used spit up, hurting Lunatone badly. It finished the job with an energy ball. Next, Amethyst used a Yanma. Dylan returned his Lileep and sent out Swellow. Swellow used focus energy and then easily finished the Yanma with a brave bird attack.

"Dylan, that was awesome! Will you please help me teach my Swalot stockpile and spit up?" Max asked.

"Sure!" Dylan responded.

After carefully showing Swalot how to use the attacks, Lileep successfully tutored the attacks to Swalot. Colby kept remarking how stupid Max's Pokémon were, and Misty became infuriated.

"Who do you think you are?" Misty yelled, "I challenge you to a battle and we will see whose Pokémon are stupid!"

"Fine…" he said.

The two found a battlefield nearby. Misty looked at Colby's current party via his admissions card.

"He has Swampert, Gabite, Ursaring, Raticate, Nuzleaf, and Staryu. Okay, this shouldn't be too hard…" she said.

Their three-on-three started. Dylan decided to be the judge. Dylan's Eevee and Igglybuff were sitting on the sidelines with the rest of them.

"Misty calls Staryu!" Misty yelled.

"Go, Nuzleaf." Colby said.

Nuzleaf started with a leaf storm. Staryu minimized the damage with a harden. Staryu used swift, which Nuzleaf knocked away with a whirlwind. Nuzleaf used dark pulse. Staryu skillfully dodged and used gyro ball.

"Nuzleaf, shadow ball!" Colby commanded. Staryu was knocked out.

"Go, Corsola!" Misty yelled.

Corsola used tackle. Nuzleaf landed on its feet and used energy ball. Corsola dodged and used spike cannon, knocking out Nuzleaf. Colby sent out Raticate. Raticate used sucker punch, followed by crunch. Corsola used bubblebeam, which was blocked by Raticate's double-edge. Corsola was hit hard and finally knocked out by Raticate's thunder.

"Final Pokémon! Go, Horsea!" Misty said. Horsea landed on his tail and balanced. Even though he couldn't maneuver well on land, Misty's intense training taught him to cope with this disability.

"Raticate, use thunder!" Colby commanded.

"Hop and use bubble!" Misty said.

Horsea simply hopped out of the way and used a powerful bubble. Horsea then used toxic. In a final attempt to win, Raticate knocked Horsea out with shadow ball. The match went to Colby. Misty took Horsea into her arms.

"Horsea, you were great. Take a nice long rest." She said, returning her injured Pokémon. Misty snarled at Colby.

After a while more of training, Grace started talking to Cierra.

"Grace, how many ribbons do you have?" Cierra asked.

"Four… I was about to win my fifth but the contest was interrupted by that big flood." Grace said.

"Ooooh… You probably won't get to participate in the Grand Festival! It's in three weeks and there are only a couple of contests left!" Cierra said.

Grace suddenly got nervous. After her conversation with Cierra, she went to the bulletin board of the Battle Club. She found out that Littleroot Town was opening up the Contest Hall that had taken three years to be built! The first contest would be in a week! Grace told Max, and he felt even more pressure than before.

"I don't know if I will be able to beat Juan by then!" Max said.

"I really need to do this! I know I can win it because it will be mostly new coordinators. It will probably only be their first or second contest!" Grace said hopefully.

"I will try… If I don't beat Juan in the next few days, you should just go on ahead without me. I can meet you at the Grand Festival afterwards." Max said. Grace glared at him.

"You need more confidence! I'm not leaving without you!" Grace yelled. Max smiled.

Max, Misty, and Grace left the Battle Club and saw none other than Oak, Tracey, and Juniper! They ran to them.

"Tracey! Prof. Oak! How are you guys?" Misty asked, running towards them. She explained why she was there and they did the same. After a brief introduction to Juniper, Max started talking to Oak.

"We heard about Primal Kyogre showing up. We had to come around to investigate." Oak said.

"Prof. Oak, I have a gym battle coming up. I was wondering if you have anyone at the lab who could transfer over a Pokémon."

"Why, yes, I do. Brock is on a break from school, so he is watching the lab for a while, while I'm in Hoenn. He can make a transfer!" Oak said.

"Tracey, Prof. Oak, when are you guys going back to Kanto?" Misty asked.

"Well, probably in a couple of days. Juniper is actually coming with us to study some of the Kanto Pokémon." Oak responded.

"I have a meeting with Wallace tomorrow, but afterwards I need to get back to my gym. Can I come with you guys?" she asked.

"Of course!" Tracey said.

"Professor, do you still have my Forretress with you, or did you transfer her to your lab?" Max asked.

"I have her with me. She is very good at detecting vibrations, which has helped us with our research." Oak said.

"I will need to borrow her for my battle tomorrow. I will also need to contact Brock so I can get back another Pokémon I have been thinking about using." Max said.

After reaching the hotel, Max exchanged his Magcargo for a Pokémon he hadn't used in a long time. He planned his team. This time, there would be no way he would lose!


	14. Hoenn: Chapter 14

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 14: Try, Try Again**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max, Misty, and Grace entered the Sootopolis Gym. Misty went with Wallace to another room and Max and Grace, again, went to the battlefield. Juan was waiting Max. The battlefield was pure water at this point. The rules were exactly the same, so it was a double battle first. Max had given this much thought.

"Azumarill, Lanturn, go now!" Juan said.

"I thought you would choose those two! Go, Kirlia and Tentacruel!" Max yelled.

"You never learn, do you? Lanturn, start things up with takedown and get Kirlia off of Tentacruel!" Juan said.

Tentacruel dodged and used poison sting. The attacks hurt both Lanturn and Azumarill a lot. Azumarill used superpower, sending Kirlia into the water while hurting Tentacruel. Kirlia teleported back onto Tentacruel's back. Lanturn used bubble, but Tentacruel's hydro pump destroyed the bubble and hurt Lanturn. Juan was sick of this back-and-forth.

"Okay, I'm ending this. Azumarill use bounce. Lanturn use thunder!" Juan commanded.

"Kirlia, use safeguard, and send Azumarill straight back down!" Max said.

Kirlia used safeguard, which made a protective barrier around she and Tentacruel. As Azumarill jumped and Lanturn used thunder on the water, Kirlia teleported right above Azumarill and used fire punch, sending it straight into Lanturn. Lanturn was smashed into the bottom of the pool and Azumarill was shocked badly by the thunder attack. Both were instantly knocked out. Kirlia teleported back onto Tentacruel.

"Good job… but don't think this means you win." Juan said. Max returned Kirlia. Half of the field turned to land. Tentacruel decided to crawl on land. "Okay then, I will use my newest Pokémon. Dewgong, go!"

"Wow! A Dewgong!" Max said, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Dewgong, the Sea Lion Pokémon, and the evolved form of Seel. Dewgong loves to snooze on bitterly cold ice. The sight of this Pokémon sleeping on a glacier was mistakenly thought to be a mermaid by a mariner long ago."

"I got this Dewgong during my last trip to the Whirl Islands in Johto. He is a great addition to my team, and is a fierce battler!" Juan bragged.

"Let's begin! Use avalanche!" Max said. Tentacruel's red area on its head turned bright blue and it sent a giant blast of ice and snow at Dewgong.

Dewgong slid happily up the stream of snow and hit Tentacruel with headbutt. Tentacruel fell on the ground. Dewgong used signal beam, knocking Tentacruel out. Max returned the fainted Pokémon.

"Which Pokémon will you use now? Kirlia? Gligar? Swalot? What about Sceptile? I'm prepared for anything you have." Juan said.

"Go, Forretress!" Max said. Juan looked surprised.

"Use aqua jet!" Juan yelled.

"Counter, Forretress!" Max said. The damage from the aqua jet was returned to Dewgong.

Dewgong used growl. Forretress used a powerful pin missile. Dewgong used ice beam, which Forretress dodged and used giga drain. Forretress finished Dewgong with solar beam. Juan was shocked.

"This is but a minor setback," he said, "Kingdra, go!"

"Forretress, use takedown!" Max commanded.

Forretress hit Kingdra hard, but then fell into the water and started sinking. In a desperate attempt to get out, Forretress used self-destruct. Kingdra evaded the attack, and it sent a fainted Forretress out of the water. Max returned Forretress.

"I choose you, Sceptile!" Max yelled.

Kingdra started with a dragon pulse, and Sceptile dodged and used dragon claw. Juan realized what Max was doing.

"I see. You planned this whole battle. Because Sceptile knows both Grass-type and Dragon-type moves, you paired him against my Kingdra. Very smart!" Juan laughed.

Sceptile used dragon breath, but it weakly turned to the side, missing Kingdra. Kingdra used bubble, which hurt Sceptile. Kingdra then used dragon pulse, but Sceptile used disable. Sceptile used energy ball, but Kingdra's bubble destroyed it and knocked out Sceptile.

"You should never depend on type like you just did. Sceptile should have an advantage over Water-types, but that bubble attack knocked it out!" Juan said.

"I choose Kirlia!" Max said.

Kingdra used dragon pulse, but it had no effect on Kirlia. Grace wondered why. She pulled out her Pokédex, and found out that because Kirlia was Fairy-type, she was immune to Dragon-type moves.

"Okay then, we have plenty of other moves. Flash cannon!" Juan yelled. Kingdra used flash cannon, but Kirlia dodged and teleported into the air.

"Kirlia, use misty terrain!" Max said. The entire battlefield was covered with pink fog. Kirlia then used dazzling gleam, knocking out Kingdra.

Misty walked in and asked Grace what was happening.

"Well, Max was able to knock out both Lanturn and Azumarill in the double battle. Then Juan's Dewgong got out Tentacruel, Max's Forretress got out Dewgong, and Kingdra got out Sceptile and Forretress blew up. Just now, Kirlia got out Kingdra. Juan has one Pokémon left and Max has three, counting Kirlia." Grace explained.

"Okay, this is what I have been waiting for. My favorite Pokémon! Milotic, take the stage!" Juan yelled.

Kirlia started with a confusion attack, but Milotic used iron tail, knocking Kirlia out. Max pulled out his next Pokémon, Swalot.

"Swalot, stockpile!" Max yelled.

Juan knew this trick. Milotic used twister, and Swalot dodged. Swalot used another stockpile, followed by a powerful spit up. Milotic was damaged, but used dragon tail on Swalot. Swalot used gastro acid. Milotic finished Swalot with water gun. Max only had one Pokémon.

"Do it Skiploom!" Max yelled. Grace was surprised.

"I haven't seen Skiploom in a while. You know, Skiploom was Max's first Pokémon." Grace said to Misty.

"Use water gun!" Juan commanded.

"Bide, Skiploom!" Max said.

Bide absorbed the energy from the water gun and sent it straight back at Milotic. Milotic was hurt. Skiploom then used bullet seed. Milotic was hurt, but it went underwater. Milotic then jumped out at full speed and used dragon tail. Skiploom absorbed the energy and sent it back with bide. Juan commanded Milotic to use twister with water in it, and Skiploom dodged the attack and used tackle. Milotic tried an ice beam, but Skiploom used splash to dodge. Juan was getting sick of this. How could Milotic be losing to such a small and weak Pokémon?

"Max, I knew you were a talented trainer, but this is remarkable! Skiploom is very well trained! You are in perfect sync. That makes me sad to say that you will be losing this. Milotic, use ice beam!" Juan said.

"Skiploom, use confusion to turn the ice beam back at Milotic!" Max said. Juan was extremely surprised.

Skiploom's confusion turned the ice beam around and it hit Milotic and froze its head. Max cheered.

"Milotic is unable to battle! The match goes to Max and his Skiploom!" the referee called. Misty and Grace ran to his side. He hugged Skiploom tight.

"Max, that was one of the greatest battles I have ever had. You used what I had done in the previous battle and learned from your mistakes. You really earned this Rain Badge." Juan said. Max grabbed the badge and cheered.

After returning to the hotel, Max transferred Skiploom back. He then gave Forretress back to Oak. He threw out his current party: Sceptile, Magcargo, Tentacruel, Gligar, Swalot, and Kirlia. Oak let out Forretress and Skiploom, Stantler, and Totodile were watching via video call.

"You all have helped me so much. Each and every one of you have fought to the best of your ability to win! Now we have gotten all of our badges. I am going to the Ever Grande Conference in just over a month, and every one of you will get your chance to fight in it. Thank you all!" Max said to his Pokémon.

"His love of Pokémon kind of reminds me of Ash!" Misty said to Tracey and Oak. They laughed in agreement.

Max returned his Pokémon and Oak returned Forretress. Juniper turned off the video call. They all walked to the Sootopolis port. Misty, Oak, Tracey, and Juniper were to take the ferry to Vermillion City. Max and Grace's ferry was to Littleroot Town.

"Max, Grace, I wish you both the best. I am counting on you both to win your competitions! I hope to see you guys during the Wallace Cup next year!" Misty said.

"Max, I will bring Forretress back to Kanto to be with Stantler, Skiploom, and Totodile. I hope you do your best in the Ever Grande Conference. Grace, you must win the Littleroot Contest and then the Grand Festival!" Oak said.

Tracey and Juniper both said their goodbyes. The ferry to Kanto arrived and the group boarded. As it left, Misty waved back at them. Grace was sad to see her go, as she was one of her idols. Max would miss her to. Max was also sad about being separated from Forretress. Forretress was one of his favorite Pokémon, but he would use her in the Ever Grande Conference.

Soon, the ferry to Littleroot arrived. Grace and Max showed their tickets to the man and entered. The trip would take three days, not including the first night. They were each assigned small rooms. The rooms each had one small bed, a dresser, a little bathroom, and a TV. Max put his Pokéballs in the dresser. He switched on the TV and watched a rerun of a Pokémon Contest in Verdanturf Town. Adalinda was the winner, and she did it with such power! Max knew that Adalinda would be a tough opponent for Grace. Soon, Max drifted off into a deep sleep.


	15. Hoenn: Chapter 15

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 15: The Island of Mirages**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

It had been a day since they boarded the ferry. It was quite a large boat, and there were over two hundred people aboard. Grace was using the space of the main deck to practice for the contest. The people of the ship thought this was very entertaining, so they started dropping money into her bag.

"Dustox, use poisonpowder! Pikachu, use thunder wave!" Grace said.

The bolts of electricity shined bright in the purple-colored air. The crowd cheered. Suddenly, the boat shifted. Some people fell. Grace returned her Pokémon. Suddenly, a dense fog made it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you. The captain came out of his room.

"Wingull, use defog!" he yelled. Wingull used defog, but because it was so foggy, the attack barely did a thing. Suddenly, the ship started spinning.

The ship started rocking and spinning. Water poured onboard. Grace ran inside and met with Max.

"What is happening?" Max asked.

"The weather turned crazy!" Grace responded.

Suddenly, there was a giant bump. Grace and Max went onto the main deck and saw that they had crashed on the rocky shore of an island. Max gasped.

"I know where we are… this is Mirage Island…" Max said.

After they dismounted the boat, they asked the captain what to do.

"Well, we can't call for help. The Mirage Island's special properties do not let radio signals get out. The only thing we can do is get the ship off of shore. We will need some strong Pokémon to do that." He said. He sent out a Machamp, an Exeggutor, and a Wingull. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Machamp, the Superpower Pokémon, and the evolved form of Machoke. It quickly swings its four arms to rock its opponents with ceaseless punches and chops from all angles."

"Exeggutor, the Coconut Pokémon, and the evolved form of Exeggcute. Originally from the tropics, Exeggutor's heads grow larger from exposure to strong sunlight. It is said that when the heads fall, they group to form an Exeggcute.

"Wingull, the Seagull Pokémon. It makes its nest on a sheer cliff at the edge of the sea. It has trouble keeping its wings flapping in flight. Instead, it soars on updrafts."

"I'll help, too! Meganium, Seaking, help out!" Grace yelled.

"Sceptile, Tentacruel, Kirlia, go!" Max said.

Sceptile, Meganium, and Machamp pushed the ship from the front. Kirlia and Exeggutor used their psychic attacks to push it. Seaking, Wingull, and Tentacruel pulled the ship via ropes. Some people started helping by pushing.

"While we wait, we should get some Liechi berries! They are great for Pokémon!" Max said. Grace said she wanted to stay on the beach, but Max convinced her after looking them up on the Pokédex. The Pokédex said the following.

"Liechi berries are native only to the most remote islands around Hoenn. This Berry is surrounded by mystery. It is rumored to be imbued with the power of the sea."

They started into the deep forest. They finally found a grove of Liechi trees and started picking and putting the berries into their bags. Suddenly, they heard a small voice. Grace turned around, only to see over two-dozen Wynaut playing in a nearby clearing.

"Oh my goodness! Those things are the cutest Pokémon I have ever seen in my whole life! I'm gonna catch one… first I need to know what they are, though…" Grace exclaimed as she pulled out her Pokédex.

"Wynaut, the Bright Pokémon. It grows stronger by pushing up against others en masse. It loves eating sweet fruit."

"Which one will you catch?" Max asked. Grace looked around. At the edge of the clearing, she saw a very small Wynaut being bullied by others. It looked so lonely and sad.

"I'm gonna catch that outcast one!" she said, "Go, Dustox! Come out and use poison sting on that Wynaut!"

Dustox used poison sting, but Wynaut's mirror coat sent it back. Luckily, Dustox dodged and used silver wind. Wynaut sent the silver wind back with mirror coat. Dustox was knocked out.

"Dustox, return! Now I'll choose Volbeat!" Grace yelled.

Volbeat used quick attack, but Wynaut's counter sent the damage back at double. Volbeat flew high into the air and sent a very bright flash at Wynaut. Wynaut cringed at the light, and that gave Volbeat enough time to put in a confuse ray. As Wynaut stumbled around, Grace got out a fresh, new Pokéball.

"Okay, Pokéball, go!" Grace said. The Pokéball hit Wynaut. After a few shakes, Wynaut was captured. Grace grabbed the Pokéball and lifted it up in the air. "Yeah! I caught a Wynaut!"

Suddenly, the Pokéball started growing bright white, and in a second, it disappeared! Grace got really scared.

"Oh, I forgot. You have six Pokémon, so the Pokéball teleported to the place where you got your Pokédex. So, I guess that's Prof. Birch's lab." Max said.

"Oh no! When we get to Littleroot, I need to check on him…" Grace said.

They walked back to the shore and saw that the ship was in the water. Kirlia evolved into Gardevoir in order to move it! They returned their Pokémon and boarded the ship. After a fight against the waves, the ship got back on course. It took another day and a half, but they arrived safe and sound in Littleroot. They went straight to Birch's lab. After talking to Birch, Grace met up with her Wynaut.

After playing with Wynaut for a while, Grace started thinking.

"I love my new Wynaut, but he doesn't have any contest experience. If I bring him with me, I won't be able to use him in the Grand Festival," she turned to Birch, "Prof. Birch, can you please keep my Wynaut for a while?"

"Of course! That's why I'm here!" Birch responded.

Birch invited Max and Grace to stay at his house for the night. His wife made a delicious dinner. Max and Grace enjoyed it gratefully.

"Dinner was delicious, Mrs. Birch! Where should we sleep?" Max asked.

"You can sleep in our Brendan's room! Grace, you can take the guest room. If you don't want to sleep right away, you two can watch TV in the TV room upstairs!" she said. Max and Grace ran upstairs. As they walked to the TV room, Grace stopped in front of Brendan's room and gasped.

"Wow! Look at all of this!" she yelled.

Max looked on Brendan's nightstand. There were full ribbon cases from Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. There was also the winner's trophy from the Petalburg Battle Tournament. But, the crown jewel of the collection was the Hoenn Ribbon Cup! Grace admired it, nearly crying. Mrs. Birch walked into the room.

"I had no idea that you were the mother of a Top Coordinator!" Grace yelled.

"Yes. Our Brendan is 18 now. After winning the Ribbon Cup he came back to live with us for a while, but then moved to a villa on the Battle Frontier Island of Johto. He is trying to become a Frontier Brain. He took all of his Pokémon, too!" Mrs. Birch said, looking extremely proud.

"I've been to the Battle Frontier Island on vacation. It's really pretty! I haven't battled the Brains, though." Grace said.

"Wait, what is the Battle Frontier Island? I've heard of the Kanto Battle Frontier, but never the Johto Battle Frontier!" Max said.

"It's a tropical island resort in Johto. It's a popular tourist destination. People who want to can challenge the Frontier Brains and win Prints." Grace explained.

"Yes. They are opening another Battle Area called the Battle Stadium. He is on the radar to be a Frontier Brain for that one, but so are some other great trainers." Mrs. Birch said. She then showed them to the TV room.

They watched a few sitcoms and then went to sleep. The next morning, Grace got ready for the contest. They ran over to the Contest Hall. All of the coordinators there were amateurs who probably just recently got their first Pokémon. Only a few had more than three Pokémon. Grace knew she had an advantage, but she kind of felt bad taking this ribbon away from all of these amateurs. The judges were the Littleroot Nurse Joy, Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and Prof. Birch!

The first round started. She had underestimated her opponents! Some of them were very good, although not quite as experienced as she was. Grace's turn was next. She was ready.

"The curtain is up! Go, Seaking!" Grace yelled.

Seaking landed on the ground in front of her. Seaking used water gun, pushing itself backwards. Grace jumped over it. Seaking then used water gun downwards and flew up high into the air. Finally, Seaking landed perfectly. The judges gave her a perfect score!

Grace went to the next round. The boy she went up against had a small Corphish and Charmander, which Grace defeated with Pikachu and Meganium. Next, she defeated a Silcoon and Mudkip. Finally, she was against a girl named Jayne. Grace had watched her. Jayne was a beginner, but definitely noteworthy. Jayne reminded Grace of herself just a few months ago.

"Volbeat, Dustox, the curtain's up!" Grace yelled.

"You will need more than a shiny Dustox to beat me! Combusken, Mudkip, go!" Jayne said. Grace was annoyed by her comment. Grace pulled out her Pokédex and Combusken.

"Combusken, the Young Fowl Pokémon, and the evolved form of Torchic. Combusken toughens up its legs and thighs by running through fields and mountains. This Pokémon's legs possess both speed and power, enabling it to dole out 10 kicks in one second."

Dustox and Volbeat started with a combo of Dustox's poison sting and Volbeat's thunder. The attacks had a great affect on the opponents. Combusken used ember and Mudkip used hidden power. Volbeat used double team to evade the attack. Dustox used harden to lessen the damage. Dustox used silver wind on Combusken and Volbeat used ice punch on Mudkip. Mudkip fainted.

Combusken used flamethrower on Dustox, but Volbeat pushed her out of the way. Volbeat used thunder on Combusken. Combusken used growl to distract Volbeat and then finished it with a bounce attack. It was now just Dustox versus Combusken. Grace was seriously concerned.

"Dustox, you have been one of my favorite contest Pokémon since the beginning of my time in Hoenn. You have been my go-to for so many months. Now, I am counting on you! We have to get to the Grand Festival! Now, use the strongest silver wind you can!" Grace yelled.

Dustox used a powerful silver wind. After, Dustox went straight into an aerial ace, knocking out Combusken. Grace almost cried. She won her fifth ribbon!

She grabbed the ribbon. It was bright green with small, chartreuse polka dots. The center was copper. It wasn't the prettiest ribbon, but she knew she was the first person to ever win it!

Grace looked at her ribbons. At Birch's dinner table that night.

"Which ribbons are from where?" Mrs. Birch asked.

"This is the Mauville Ribbon, this is the Johto-Hoenn Interregional Ribbon, this is the Ever Grande Ribbon, this is the North Petalburg Ribbon, and this is the Littleroot Ribbon." Grace said, pointing them out.

"This is great! You have all five ribbons and I have all five badges!" Max yelled. They were both so proud of how far they have come!


	16. Hoenn: Chapter 16

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 16: Raging for the Ribbon Cup… Grand Festival, Pt. One!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

After briefly visiting Norman and Caroline for a night, Max and Grace started towards the ferry near the Petalburg Woods. They were off to the Grand Festival in Slateport. The start would be in only two days! They boarded the ferry. There would be a brief stop in Dewford, but from there it would go straight to Slateport. They soon stopped in Slateport. Grace turned to Max.

"Max, can we please take the next ferry to Slateport?" Grace asked.

"Wait, why? That ferry is in three hours!" Max responded.

"Well, I'm working on a new move with Dustox. I will find a spot nearby to practice. This move is super secret, and especially for the Grand Festival! Meet me at the port in three hours!" Grace said, running away. Max sighed.

After hanging out at the Pokémon Center for a while, Max decided to take a walk on Dewford's famous beach. While there, he saw a familiar face training.

"Piplup, use bubblebeam!" Dawn yelled.

Dawn made a beautiful display by making Piplup use bubblebeam and then freezing it with ice beam. After, Piplup made sparkly dust by using pound on the frozen bubbles. Piplup landed perfectly on its feet. Max approached them.

"Hey, Max! Are you and Grace on your way to Slateport, too?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah! But now Grace is practicing a new move with her Dustox." Max said.

Dawn and Max started hanging out and eventually met Grace at the port. They entered the boat and Grace and Dawn started talking.

"Grace, I really hope that if I don't win, you do. I have seen some of your contests on TV. Even Vivian Meridian says you are one of the best up-and-coming coordinators!" Dawn said. Grace thanked her for the compliment.

They soon got to Slateport. After registering, Grace and Max were escorted to a beautiful dormitory. Dawn's dorm was in another building, so they didn't expect to see her for a while. Grace was very excited. The next day, Grace disappeared. She wanted to go somewhere private to work on the 'special new move.' Max just spent the day looking at Grace's competition. He made a list of coordinators that he thought Grace should look out for. Later that night, before dinner, Grace and Max looked over the list.

"So you think I should look out for Dawn, Adalinda, Cierra, Chloe, Geraldo, and Julia… Okay! I'll be extra careful while battling them! But I'm so sick of Cierra that I will never let her win!" Grace said. Max was wondering why Grace was acting so upbeat and carefree. It must be a happiness high.

The next day, Grace was up extra early. Vivian Meridian started the announcements.

"Welcome to this year's Hoenn Grand Festival! The winner will receive the Hoenn Ribbon Cup! There is a whopping 277 coordinators. The first round will take place on one of our many appeals stages. The coordinators will have to choose one Pokémon. Then they will have to use only one move to wow the judges. Only 128 will make it to the next round… The next rounds are the real appeals! After that, only 64 will proceed! There are five battle rounds... Two of the rounds are single-battles and the others have to be double-battles. Whoever wins the last battles is given the title of Top Coordinator! Now lets meet our judges: Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and the Nurse Joys from Silver Town in Johto, Ever Grande City, and right here in Slateport. Our special guest judge is Robert, a Top Coordinator from just a couple of years ago! Now lets begin the preliminaries!" Vivian Meridian said.

Grace waited just over an hour and watched some of the other preliminaries. Dawn used her Mamoswine's ice shard to create giant ice back spikes. Adalinda used her Hydreigon's tri attack. Cierra's Tangela used a beautiful stun spore. It was soon Grace's turn on one of the stages.

"Okay, Dustox, the curtain is up!" Grace yelled with vigor.

Dustox came out with a shiny sparkle. The judges seemed to be impressed by its shiny properties. Dustox flew around while spinning.

"Dustox, use electroweb!" Grace commanded. Max gasped. So _that_ was the move she was working on.

Dustox let out a string from her mouth and started spinning around. The twirl of the string was beautiful. Suddenly, it started glowing bright blue. Blue bolts of electricity shot off of the web. Grace passed through the round with a score of 89 out of 100. Max ran to her.

"So that was the move you were working on?" Max asked.

"Yep! I knew they would judge on only one move in the first round, so I decided to find out what unique moves a Dustox could learn. After doing some research, I found out about electroweb and started tutoring it. I actually have been working on it since the North Petalburg Contest, but just perfected it recently!" Grace said.

Soon, they showed the people who passed on the monitor. Grace got 24th place! Adalinda got 2nd, Cierra got 4th, Dawn got 8th, Chloe got 60th, Geraldo got 37th, and Julia got 43rd. Grace looked at her list of worthy opponents. Everybody on the list got through! She started getting nervous.

The next appeal round was monumental. Almost every coordinator gave an extremely beautiful performance. Soon, it was Grace's turn. Grace pulled out her Pokéball. She was ready.

"The curtain's up! I choose Munna!" Grace yelled.

"Grace is just full of beautiful and rare Pokémon! First a shiny Dustox and now a Munna!" Vivian Meridian said.

"Munna, use thunder wave and psywave simultaneously!" Grace said.

The attacks made a beautiful combination. The mixed attacks made the entire room light up. The judges were taken. They gave her a 96 out of 100. Grace was overjoyed. Adalinda soon outshined her performance. Adalinda's Empoleon used bubble and then used double hit to break each and every one into a beautiful shiny mist, similar to what Dawn had done with Piplup. Empoleon then used supersonic to make the mist look even shinier. Finally, Empoleon used water pledge, which made a circle of water go around the entire field. She got a 100!

Cierra used Casty in her performance. It was a weather change thing again. The judges gave her a 97! Grace cringed at the good score.

"Well, I don't know what to do for the appeals now! I'm assigned to the same stage as Adalinda and our acts are too similar!" Dawn said.

Soon, it was Dawn's turn. She decided to stick with her act with Piplup.

"Piplup, spotlight!" Dawn yelled.

Piplup used bubblebeam and then froze the bubbles with ice beam. It destroyed the frozen bubbles with pound. Piplup then used whirlpool. Finally, Dawn commanded Piplup to use headbutt on the whirlpool, sending it flying into the air. The judges felt like she was copying Adalinda, so they gave her a mere 77! Dawn almost cried.

"I have never gotten a score that low!" Dawn yelled. Grace felt so bad for her.

Soon, the contestants moving to the battle round were announced. Adalinda was 1st, Cierra was 2nd, Grace was 3rd, Chloe was 10th, Geraldo was 11th, Julia didn't make it, and Dawn actually made it in, but in last place. Dawn smiled.

"I'm going to make up for it in the battle round!" Dawn yelled confidently.

"Okay! The first two battle rounds will be single-battles! The quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals will all be double battles! The matchups for round one will be posted on the largest monitor. For the single-battles, two battles will happen simultaneously on stages A and B. Afterwards, for the doubles, it will go one at a time!" Vivian Meridian yelled.

Grace was paired with a girl named Lylla. Dawn was up against Geraldo. The two high fived as they went separate ways to prepare.

"Grace, I want to meet you in the finals! I probably won't see you until tomorrow, so bye!" Dawn said.

"Thanks, Dawn!" Grace said.

After separating, Grace went on stage A. Max got a seat in the second row. Lylla looked tough.

"My beautiful Nidoqueen, go and show them all we are champions!" Lylla yelled. It was the biggest Nidoqueen Max had ever seen.

"A Nidoqueen, huh…" Grace said as she pulled out her Pokédex.

"Nidoqueen, the Drill Pokémon, and the evolved form of Nidorina. Nidoqueen's body is encased in extremely hard scales. It is adept at sending foes flying with harsh tackles. This Pokémon is at its strongest when it is defending its young."

"The curtain is up, Meganium!" Grace said. Max knew Meganium was a good choice. Meganium landed perfectly.

"Okay, the five minutes has started!" Vivian yelled.

"Fury swipes of love, Nidoqueen!" Lylla yelled. Nidoqueen slashed out heart-shaped fury swipes, all of which made direct hits. Grace's points lowered.

"Growl, Meganium! Then use a petal dance attack!" Grace commanded.

The growl caught Nidoqueen off-guard, and the petal dance made it dizzy. Nidoqueen started spinning around. Lylla's points went extremely low. Meganium was able to end the battle with a razor leaf. Grace continued on!

On stage B it was Cierra. Even though Max wanted to congratulate Grace, he thought that watching to see Cierra's new techniques was more important. She was up against a guy named Hank.

"Go, Electrode!" Hank yelled.

"My dear Venomoth, take the stage and the sky!" Cierra yelled.

Their battle started. Although Electrode kept on using thunder wave, Venomoth agilely dodged the attacks. It then put Electrode to sleep with sleep powder. After a minute of sleeping, Electrode was disqualified, making Cierra the winner. Max couldn't believe her amazing strategy.

Dawn was up against Geraldo. Max thought this would be interesting, as they both were excellent coordinators.

"Buneary, spotlight!" Dawn yelled.

"Buneary, huh? Well, lets see how this goes! Lopunny, lets win this!" Geraldo said. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Buneary, the Rabbit Pokémon. When it senses danger, it perks up its ears. On cold nights, it sleeps with its head tucked into its fur."

"Lopunny, the Rabbit Pokémon, and the evolved form of Buneary. It is very conscious of its looks and never fails to groom its ears. It runs with sprightly jumps.

"Wow! An evolution pair up against each other. This should be really interesting." Vivian said.

"Buneary, start with dizzy punch!" Dawn commanded.

The dizzy punch landed perfectly. Lopunny was knocked back, but landed perfectly. Lopunny returned with a dizzy punch, sending Buneary across the stage. Lopunny then came down with another dizzy punch, but Buneary dodged. Buneary used ice beam, but Lopunny used mirror coat. Buneary hit the ice beam with a dizzy punch. The ice beam exploded and made a coat of snow around Buneary. Buneary started spinning and the snow glistened.

Lopunny started running towards Buneary. Buneary used ice beam. Lopunny dodged the attack three times. Each time it dodged, the ice beam hit the ground and made a large block of ice. Buneary used bounce and jumped from each block to the next. Lopunny used shadow ball, destroying each of the blocks. Buneary landed near Lopunny and used dizzy punch. Lopunny used pound, sending Buneary flying. Buneary landed on her ears and then did a backflip onto her feet. Buneary landed and spun around. Lopunny used shadow ball at it, but Buneary used dizzy punch to send it back, although it still took damage from the impact. Lopunny then used focus blast. Buneary used dizzy punch to send it back again.

The focus blast hit Buneary hard. Buneary slid back, and then sent it back with dizzy punch. The attack hit Lopunny. Lopunny got up. The timer stopped, revealing that Dawn had won! Just as Dawn realized she won, Buneary fainted. Dawn picked Buneary up and ran off the stage.

Max watched a few more battles before going to see Grace. She was mad that he didn't come sooner, but he explained why. Grace was up again to go against a guy named Jeff. Jeff's Vaporeon lost to Grace's Volbeat. Grace couldn't believe that she was in for the quarterfinals! The matchups for the next day were displayed on the monitor. Grace was up against Chloe.

Grace and Max went back to the dorms and got ready for bed. Grace was too excited to sleep! She was living her dream!


	17. Hoenn: Chapter 17

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 17: Airs and Graces… Grand Festival, Pt. Two!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Grace was getting her hair done. She was so ready to go against Chloe. She started talking to Max.

"This is the second battle round. After this are the quarterfinals, then the semifinals, and finally the finals! I know I will be able to beat Chloe, even if she was on the list." Grace said extremely confidently.

Max went to get a seat in the arena while Grace got ready. Soon, she was called out on stage B. Max watched intently. Chloe was on the other side of the stage with a grim smile.

"So we meet again. Lets get this battle through so I can become Top Coordinator. Lets go Noctowl!" Chloe said.

"We'll see about that! Pikachu, the curtain's up!" Grace said. She pulled out her Pokédex to find out about Noctowl.

"Noctowl, the Owl Pokémon, and the evolved form of HootHoot. Its eyes are specially developed to enable it to see clearly even in murky darkness and minimal light."

"And five minutes on the clock! Go, coordinators!" Vivian yelled.

"Okay, Pikachu, start things off with electro ball!" Grace yelled.

Electro ball hit Noctowl hard. Noctowl was able to recover and used extrasensory. Pikachu dodged and used draining kiss. Noctowl used tackle. Pikachu grabbed onto Noctowl's head and used thunder wave. Noctowl used extrasensory to sent Pikachu flying and then used air slash. Pikachu was hit hard, but then used electric terrain. The ground was electrified, so Noctowl couldn't land.

Pikachu jumped and used mega kick on Noctowl, sending it into the ground. Noctowl used reflect downwards, so the electricity didn't give much damage. Noctowl got high up into the air and used supersonic. Pikachu dodged with quick attack and then used growl. Suddenly, the timer stopped.

"Grace is the winner! She will be moving on to the quarterfinals!" Vivian Meridian yelled. Grace hugged Pikachu tightly and started jumping.

Max came down to the coordinator waiting area to congratulate her. She didn't seem upbeat anymore. She was watching the current contest battles.

"Cierra got through so easily! I'm nervous what will happen when I face her…" Grace said.

"Maybe Dawn or Adalinda or one of the other coordinators will beat her." Max said. Grace thought.

Soon, the battles were over. The quarterfinals matchups were on the big monitor. Grace screamed.

"I have to battle… Cierra!" Grace screamed. On top of that, she was the first battle! Max decided to get a seat.

Grace had twenty minutes until her battle. She had to decide which Pokémon to use. She started talking to herself.

"Cierra's main Pokémon are Bug and Grass-types. So I guess a Fire-type against her? I don't have any Fire-types. But then again, she has a Fire-type and a Dragon-type. Maybe Seaking? No… she can't walk. Casty can turn into four different types. Oh no, she also has a Fairy-type! I don't even know what those can do! What do I do!?" Grace yelled to herself.

"Wow, am I making you _that_ nervous? I knew you were a loser, but I didn't know you were that bad!" Cierra laughed.

"Shut up! I'm sick of you calling me that. I am going to beat you and that's that!" Grace snapped. Cierra was surprised, but then laughed and walked away.

Grace was filled with rage. When the loud speaker called her name, she stomped out. She looked out to Cierra at the other side and frowned.

"The curtain's up! Go, Munna! Go, Volbeat!" Grace yelled.

"Butterfree, Bulbasaur, take the stage and the sky!" Cierra said.

Munna used hypnosis. Munna sent waves of red energy out of her eyes. Butterfree grabbed Bulbasaur and dodged the hypnosis. Butterfree threw Bulbasaur up and used silver wind on Volbeat and Munna. Volbeat used quick attack. He grabbed Munna and dodged the silver wind and then hit into Butterfree. As they were pushing Butterfree down, Bulbasaur's vine whip knocked Grace's Pokémon away. Grace's points went down.

"Use stun spore on Volbeat!" Cierra yelled at Butterfree.

"Jump in front of Volbeat, Munna!" Grace yelled. Cierra gasped.

Munna shrieked as it was hit with the stun spore. Munna fell on the floor.

"Munna, use magic coat and then moonlight!" Grace yelled. Cierra forgot about Munna's magic coat attack.

Munna used magic coat, which gave both Bulbasaur and Butterfree paralysis. They both couldn't move! Munna used moonlight to cure its status problem.

"Munna, use Zen headbutt to get some more points and then use hypnosis!" Grace screamed. Cierra was panicking now.

Munna's Zen headbutt made the two fall over and the hypnosis put them to sleep. Grace really had the advantage now!

"Now, use dream eater and finish this!" Grace screamed.

Munna used dream eater. The attack hurt the two Pokémon a lot, but not enough to make them faint. They both woke up. Butterfree shook off the stun spore and flew up. Bulbasaur used synthesis and Butterfree used roost. They were now healed slightly. Grace suddenly got scared.

"Thunder, Volbeat! Munna, shadow ball!" Grace said.

Thunder hit Butterfree hard and the shadow ball attacks hit Bulbasaur. Butterfree fell down and Grace commanded sonic boom. Munna's sonic boom attack defeated Butterfree. Cierra's points were critically low.

"Bulbasaur, petal dance now!" Cierra yelled.

The petal dance flew at them, but Munna protected itself with defense curl. Munna used swift on Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur didn't seem to have much energy left.

"Now lets finish this! Volbeat, use thunder! Munna, use psywave!" Grace screamed. The two attacks collided midair and came together in a mixed form hard on Bulbasaur, creating a huge explosion. This didn't make Bulbasaur faint, but the five minutes ended.

"It looks like Grace is the winner of this contest battle!" Vivian said.

Cierra looked extremely angry. After Grace celebrated, she ran down to the coordinator room. Dawn and Max found her and started congratulating her. Cierra walked up to them and smiled.

"Good choice with that Munna. Its magic coat attack is the _only_ thing that saved you. I don't really care that I lost. You just have a lot of luck." Cierra laughed. She then turned to Max as she walked away. "I'm coming for you next. Good luck in the Ever Grande Competition. You'll need it."

"That girl reminds me of one of my rivals, Ursula." Dawn said. The loud speaker called up Dawn. "That's my cue! Wish me luck!"

Grace and Max stayed. Dawn got through. Afterwards, the three of them decided to eat dinner together. They got updates on the TV in the restaurant.

"Oh, look! The semifinals matchups!" Grace said, pointing to the TV.

Grace looked. She couldn't believe whom she was up against! It was Adalinda! She didn't have very much experience battling Dragon-types. She got really nervous. Dawn turned to her.

"Adalinda is really good. You have to be the top of your game! I know you can do it." Dawn said. Grace wasn't so sure.

The next day, Grace got prepared for her battle. Max approached her.

"Which Pokémon are you going to use?" he asked.

"The ones that have been there for me the most." Grace responded calmly. Max wasn't 100% sure what that meant, but he could take a good guess.

Soon, they were in the arena. The first battle ended in victory for Dawn. She used a Quilava and a Togekiss. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Quilava, the Volcano Pokémon, and the evolved form of Cyndaquil. It intimidates foes with intense gusts of flames and superheated air. Its quick nimbleness lets it dodge attacks even while scorching an enemy."

"Togekiss, the Jubilee Pokémon, and the evolved form of Togetic. As everyone knows, it visits peaceful regions, bringing them gifts of kindness and sweet blessings."

"Dawn is really something else with rare Pokémon like those!" Grace said.

Soon, it was her turn. She hadn't seen Adalinda in a long time. She waved, and Adalinda warmly said hello.

"Hydreigon, Dragonite, help me win the Ribbon Cup!" Adalinda yelled. Max used his Pokédex on Hydreigon.

"Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokémon, and the evolved form of Zweilous. This brutal Pokémon travels the skies on its six wings. Anything that moves seems like a foe to it, triggering its attack."

"Dustox, Meganium, the curtain's up!" Grace said. The five minutes started.

"Hydreigon, use dragon breath! You use ice beam, Dragonite!" Adalinda yelled.

"Dodge, both of you! Dustox, aerial ace on Dragonite! Meganium, dragon tail on Hydreigon!" Grace said.

Grace's Pokémon inflicted lots of damage on Adalinda's. Dragonite used dragon tail and then hurricane, both of which Dustox skillfully dodged. Hydreigon knocked away Meganium with headbutt. Meganium used razor leaf. Hydreigon used double-hit to knock the leaved away. Dragonite attacked with thunder. Dustox used electroweb to absorb the attack. Adalinda was actually losing, because Grace's attacks were just faster!

Meganium used dragon tail once more, but Hydreigon moved and used dragon breath. Meganium healed with synthesis. They reached the three-minute mark. Dragonite used leer to make Dustox back off.

"I underestimated you, Grace. I must use drastic measures to win this! Hydreigon, use swagger now!" she yelled. Hydreigon turned bright red and Meganium and Dustox turned red, also.

Dustox and Meganium started tackling each other. While they were colliding, Dragonite used fire punch on the both of them. This made Meganium faint. Dustox used aerial ace on Dragonite. Hydreigon hurt Dustox with dragon breath, but Dustox used harden to minimize damage. The timer stopped.

"This intense battle goes to Adalinda! She will be meeting Dawn in the final round later today!" Vivian yelled. Grace started crying and ran inside.

Max gave her a hug. She was so upset!

"You did awesome! That swagger was a great strategy! The Pokémon were confused, there was no way you could have controlled them!" Max said. Grace wiped her eyes. She smiled.

"Well next time I will get them!" Grace yelled. Dawn ran over.

"Grace, I heard you lost, but your battling was fantastic. I will be sure to avenge you in the finals!" Dawn said with a smile. She and Grace high-fived. Cierra ran in and slammed Grace up against the wall.

"Look, loser, I know you are a bad coordinator, but I don't appreciate what happened out there!" Cierra yelled.

"What did I do?" Grace asked, scared.

"You lost! Because you beat me, you should have won! Now I really know you are a loser. How was I beaten by a loser?" Cierra said. She ran out of the room screaming. Max looked after her.

"She has some serious issues…" Max said.

Soon, it was the finals! Grace and Max got great seats near the front. They were so excited to see Dawn and Adalinda battle.

"Okay everyone! It is finally time for the final round of the Hoenn Grand Festival! The winner will get this year's Hoenn Ribbon Cup! This will be a five minute long, two-on-two battle. It will be between Dawn from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh and Adalinda from Blackthorn City in Johto! Now lets begin this match! Five minutes on the clock!" Vivian said.

"Piplup, Mamoswine, spotlight!" Dawn yelled.

"Dragonite and Empoleon, lets win this!" Adalinda yelled.

"Dawn definitely has the type advantage over Adalinda's Dragonite. Its just Empoleon that I'm worried about. Dawn was expecting her to use only Dragon-types, so she decided to she had three choices: Buneary, Piplup, and Mamoswine. Each knows Ice-type attacks. But, Buneary was hurt really badly during her battle with Geraldo. But, I don't know who will win." Max said.

"Mamoswine, swallow your ice shard! Piplup, use ice beam!" Dawn yelled.

"Dragonite, safeguard! Empoleon, use aqua jet!" Adalinda commanded.

The aqua jet hurt Mamoswine really badly. The ice beam was ineffective against Dragonite's ice beam. Mamoswine used take down on Empoleon. Piplup jumped up to Dragonite and used ice beam. Dragonite fell to the ground, but soon broke the ice. Dragonite flew at Piplup with a dragon rush attack. Piplup narrowly dodged and used bubblebeam.

Mamoswine sent Empoleon flying. Empoleon landed on its feet and used bubble. Mamoswine used ice shard, but Empoleon used double-hit to send away the shards. Dawn knew she had to turn Piplup against Empoleon and Mamoswine against Dragonite to win.

"Okay, Piplup, use bubblebeam on Empoleon. Mamoswine, use hidden power on Dragonite." Dawn said.

The attacks made impact. Dragonite used blizzard on Piplup and Empoleon used growl on Mamoswine. Adalinda knew what Dawn was doing.

"Fine, if you want to play like that… Piplup, use hydro pump and then headbutt on Dragonite. Mamoswine, try an ancient power on Empoleon!" Dawn said.

Dragonite was hurt by the attacks, but Empoleon used mud-slap to deflect the attack. Piplup used whirlpool at Empoleon to trap it, but its hydro cannon destroyed it. Mamoswine managed to bite onto Dragonite during the confusion and used ice fang. Dragonite's legs were frozen.

"Dragonite, use sandstorm!" Adalinda commanded.

Suddenly, send was flying everywhere. Dragonite freed its legs. Empoleon was standing right outside the sandstorm vortex. Piplup used bide. The sand around it spun and it finally sent the energy from the sandstorm at Empoleon. Mamoswine used takedown and flew outside the vortex, breaking it. The sandstorm calmed as Mamoswine crashed into Empoleon.

Dragonite sent a focus blast at Piplup. Dawn decided to do what she did with Lopunny's focus blast during Buneary's battle.

"Piplup, send it back with headbutt. Then finish it with avalanche!" Dawn yelled. Grace was confused.

"I didn't know her Piplup knew avalanche!" Grace said.

Piplup used headbutt on the focus blast. It hit Dragonite hard. Piplup sent a blast of snow out of its beak at Dragonite. Dragonite used fire punch to counter it. Piplup used ice beam, but Dragonite dodged.

"Empoleon, use aqua jet on Mamoswine!" Adalinda yelled. Dawn saw her chance. She knew she could turn this battle around.

"Piplup, jump in front of Mamoswine and use headbutt on Empoleon's aqua jet. Mamoswine, I want you to use the most powerful powder snow you can on Dragonite!" Dawn yelled.

Piplup and Empoleon collided while Mamoswine hit Dragonite with powder snow. Dragonite screamed, but then used dragon breath. Mamoswine jumped out of the way and used another powder snow. Meanwhile, Piplup was trying to recover from the hard hit to the head. Empoleon used flash cannon on Piplup. Piplup was hit hard and then used bubblebeam. Empoleon absorbed the energy with bide and sent it back with a powerful white beam. Piplup was hit again.

"Okay, Piplup, get below Mamoswine! Mamoswine, protect Piplup! Use ice shard!" Dawn yelled. Piplup was very much injured, but not enough to faint.

The ice shard hit both of the opposing Pokémon. Dragonite used outrage to throw Mamoswine out of the way. Piplup used avalanche on Dragonite, sending it back. Empoleon used brine at Piplup, and Piplup countered with hydro pump.

Dragonite used thunder on Piplup, full power. Piplup used bide and sent the energy at Empoleon. Empoleon was hurt. Mamoswine used powder snow at Empoleon while Piplup used bubblebeam on Dragonite. Suddenly, Dragonite used supersonic. Mamoswine and Piplup started dancing around confused. Dragonite and Empoleon used a combination of fire blast and bubble to hurt them. Suddenly, the timer went off. The room went dead silent.

"The winner of the Ribbon Cup and the title of Top Coordinator is… Adalinda of Blackthorn City!" Vivian Meridian yelled. Everyone cheered.

Dawn didn't seem upset at all. She shook hands with Adalinda. Soon, at the end of the contest, everyone was given their awards. Adalinda cheered with her Ribbon Cup. Dawn got the runner-up plaque and Grace got a top-4 plaque. Grace loved it so much. The next day, Dawn, Max, and Grace met at the port.

"Well, I'm off to Littleroot Town! I'm going to help out with Birch's lab until May comes back from Unova. Then we are both going to Sinnoh together!" Dawn said.

"We are on our way to Ever Grande City for the Ever Grande Conference." Max said.

"Dawn, can you say hello to my Wynaut for me?" Grace asked. Dawn agreed.

They all went their separate ways. After Grace and Max arrived in Ever Grande, Max registered for the conference, which was in just three days! Soon, a valet knocked on their dorm door and escorted them to the port.

"I wonder why we were called here… Its just the ferry from Castelia City coming…" Max said. Suddenly, a Beautifly landed on his shoulder and a Wartortle jumped out of the water.

"I kept my promise!" yelled a voice. Max looked and saw May waving from the ferry.

After the ferry came to port, May walked off.

"I told you I would come to see your Ever Grande Conference! I never break my promises!" May said, giving him a hug. Now Max was set!


	18. Hoenn: Chapter 18

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 18: Try as I May… Ever Grande Conference, Pt. One!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

May, Max, and Grace sat in the trainers' lounge.

"May, how many ribbons did you get in Unova?" Grace asked, excited. May smiled and pulled out her Ribbon Case. She slid open the front.

"Four. The orange one is from Humilau City, the gray one is from Virbank City, the red one is from Anville Town, and the purple one is from the Village of Dragons! I am going to participate in the monthly contest in Castelia City after getting back. The Grand Festival is in only a month and a half!" May said. Grace admired the beautiful ribbons.

"Well, I made top-4 in the Grand Festival!" Grace said.

"That's great! I only made the top-8 in my first Grand Festival." May said.

Soon, they went to bed. The next day, Max trained in a battle against May. Grace would be the ref.

"Okay, this will be a three-on-three simulation of a battle in this conference. Each trainer is allowed substitutions! Begin!" Grace yelled. She kind of liked being a ref. Maybe if her coordinator career never took off she would do that!

"I choose you, Magcargo!" Max yelled.

"Skitty, take the stage!" May said. Grace was fascinated by Skitty. She pulled out her Pokédex.

"Skitty, the Kitten Pokémon. Skitty is known to chase around playfully after its own tail. In the wild, this Pokémon lives in holes in trees of forests. It is very popular as a pet because of its adorable looks."

"Magcargo, use flamethrower!" Max commanded.

"Skitty, fake-out attack! Then use tackle!" May said.

Magcargo inhaled to use flamethrower. Just as it was about to use the attack, Skitty clapped loudly in front of its face. Magcargo flinched and stopped using flamethrower. Then Skitty slammed into Magcargo. Skitty got burned.

"Skitty, stop the burn by using blizzard on yourself to cool yourself off!" May commanded.

Skitty used blizzard on the ground and it ricocheted of the ground onto Skitty, healing the burn. Magcargo flew at Skitty and used shell smash. Skitty used growl to distract Magcargo, and then used assist. A bubble attack came out of a bright orb on Skitty's hand. It hit Magcargo hard.

"How did Skitty use bubble? I thought you told it to use assist." Grace said.

"Assist is an attack that lets Skitty use an attack that another Pokémon that May has in her party knows. So, it used Wartortle's bubble attack." Max explained.

Skitty used growl once again and then used assist. This time, shadow ball came out. Magcargo used harden to minimalize damage. Magcargo got ready for another flamethrower, but Skitty used fake-out to make it flinch. Skitty used assist again, and Skitty started using metronome. Skitty then used hydro cannon, knocking out Magcargo.

"Gligar, come out and use fire fang!" Max said.

Fire fang got Skitty out immediately. May got out her next Pokémon.

"Venusaur, on stage!" May said. Grace took out her Pokédex.

"Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ivysaur. After a rainy day, the flower on its back smells stronger. The scent attracts other Pokémon."

"Gligar, use another fire fang!" Max said.

"Use protect and then use frenzy plant!" May said.

The protect attack worked and then giant roots flew out of the ground, hitting Gligar and knocking it out.

"Wow! Do you think you could teach that frenzy plant to Sceptile?" Max asked.

"Okay! Lets finish this battle first!" May said.

"Now, lets go, Totodile!" Max said.

"Wow! I didn't realize you transferred Totodile over!" Grace said.

Max started with a hydro pump attack. The attack hit Venusaur hard. Venusaur used frenzy plant, but Totodile just danced around on the roots. Totodile used ice fang, freezing Venusaur and knocking it out.

"Go, Blaziken, I choose you!" May said.

Totodile started dancing and then suddenly evolved! Grace pulled out her Pokédex excitedly.

"Croconaw, the Big Jaw Pokémon, and the evolved form of Totodile. Once Croconaw has clamped its jaws on its foe, it will absolutely not let go. Because the tips of its fangs are forked back like barbed fishhooks, they become impossible to remove when they have sunk in.

"Blaziken, the Blaze Pokémon, and the evolved form of Combusken. In battle, Blaziken blows out intense flames from its wrists and attacks the foe courageously. The stronger the foes, the more intensely this Pokémon's wrists burn."

"Blaziken, use firespin!" she said.

Croconaw was hit but then used superpower. The attack sent Blaziken flying. Blaziken used aerial ace, but Croconaw luckily dodged and used bubble. Blaziken used blaze kick to knock Croconaw out.

"The battle goes to May!" Grace yelled.

"Nice battle, May! For my battles tomorrow I won't use Sceptile, so you can tutor him frenzy plant." Max said. May agreed.

After the opening ceremonies, the group went to bed. The next morning was Max's first battle. He met with a large group of trainers in the main arena. He even caught a glimpse of Dylan, Colby, and Cierra. The announcer said the rules.

"First are the preliminaries! Each trainer will only be allowed one Pokémon. The top 256 trainers will advance to the qualifying rounds. Those trainers will participate in three three-on-three matches. Finally, the best 32 must compete in five full battles to win! Lets start the preliminaries!" the announcer called.

Grace watched Max's first battle from the stands. May was off tutoring Sceptile. Max was up against some girl named Daphne.

"Go, Kingler!" Daphne called.

"I choose you, Swalot!" Max said.

Kingler used crabhammer, but Swalot's squishy body made it ineffective. Swalot used stockpile twice, and then used spit up. The spit up hurt Kingler. Kingler used brine. Swalot finished Kingler with pound. Max beat Daphne and was going to participate in the qualifying rounds!

Max's first round was in under an hour. He and Grace looked over some of the videos of the preliminaries.

"Well, Dylan beat his opponent with his Cradily. I guess Lileep evolved. Cierra used Venomoth, and got the other trainer out in one hit. Colby used his Absol." Grace reviewed.

Max was soon called to battle a trainer named Reyna. He had battled her once before, in the Johto Festival! He greeted her, but she didn't seem to remember.

"This will be a three-on-three battle between Reyna and Max! The winner will proceed to the next round! Begin!" the ref called.

"Yanmega, come on out!" Reyna said.

"I choose you, Gardevoir!" Max said.

Yanmega started with sonic boom, but Gardevoir teleported out of the way. Gardevoir used confuse ray. Yanmega flew into the ground. Gardevoir finished it with magical leaf. Reyna sent out her Arbok. Arbok instantly defeated Gardevoir with a poison sting attack. Max sent out Swalot. Swalot used rock smash and then solar beam, finishing off Arbok. Reyna sent out a Victreebel. Max wanted to finish the battle quickly. He knew he had one more Pokémon left.

"Swalot, use explosion!" Max commanded. The explosion defeated both Swalot and Victreebel. Max won the battle!

The next morning, Max woke up and went straight to his next battle. It was against an older man named Hugh.

"Go, Raichu!" Hugh yelled.

"I choose you, Stantler!" Max said.

Raichu started with a thunder shock attack. Stantler dodged and used earthquake. Raichu used volt tackle, but Stantler's shadow ball collided with it and caused an explosion. Raichu fell backwards, and Stantler finished it with tackle.

Next, Hugh sent out a Crobat. Crobat used poison sting, and Stantler used thunder, followed by solar beam. Crobat was hurt badly, but used leech life. It barely hurt Stantler. Stantler used leer and then shadow ball. Crobat fainted.

"Okay, Hitmontop, go!" he said. Grace pulled out her Pokédex to scan it.

"Hitmontop, the Handstand Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tyrogue. Its technique of kicking while spinning is a remarkable mix of both offense and defense. Hitmontop travel faster spinning than they do walking."

Hitmontop used rolling kick and then close combat. Stantler was knocked out. Max thought about his next Pokémon.

"I choose Tentacruel!" Max said.

Tentacruel immediately used poison sting. Hitmontop used agility to dodge. Hitmontop used tackle. Tentacruel used skull bash, sending the Fighting-type flying. Hitmontop landed on its feet. Hitmontop used hidden power, defeating Tentacruel. Max was down to his last Pokémon.

"Go, Gligar!" he yelled. Grace knew that Gligar was a good choice against a Fighting-type.

Hitmontop tried to use close combat, but Gligar used screech followed by a dark pulse. Hitmontop landed on its feet and then used focus blast. Gligar used harden. Gligar finished the round with a poison sting.

After this round, May met up with Grace and Max.

"Sceptile mastered frenzy plant! I would keep this attack a secret until you really, really need it because then people will start preparing for it." May said. Max grabbed Sceptile's Pokéball and cheered.

Soon, it was Max's final qualifying round! He walked into the arena. His match was against a girl named Hayley. Hayley seemed even more confident than Max. The ref called out the rules, and the round started.

"Go, Marill!" she said.

"Skiploom, I choose you!" Max yelled.

Skiploom used bullet seed, but Marill easily dodged. To Max's surprise, Marill knocked Skiploom out with only one bubblebeam attack! Max sent out Gardevoir. Gardevoir used dazzling gleam. Marill used another bubblebeam, which gave Gardevoir lots of damage. Marill knocked Gardevoir over with headbutt.

"Marill's bubblebeam is unbeatable! We've been working on it for well over a year!" Hayley said confidently.

Marill used another bubblebeam. Gardevoir had taken lots of damage. Max decided to substitute Gardevoir for Forretress.

Forretress used solar beam. Marill was badly hurt, but then used bubblebeam. Forretress used flash cannon, but Marill headbutted it and sent it back. Marill used bubblebeam, but Forretress dodged. Forretress used takedown, and then spikes. Marill landed on the ground, and spikes activated and gave it damage.

"I've only used one Pokémon and you have used all three! This is going to be easy! Now, I choose Ludicolo!" Hayley said. Grace scanned it with her Pokédex.

"Ludicolo, the Carefree Pokémon, and the evolved form of Lombre. Upon hearing an upbeat and cheerful rhythm, the cells in Ludicolo's body become very energetic and active. Even in battle, this Pokémon will exhibit an amazing amount of power."

Spikes were activated and hurt Ludicolo. Ludicolo used bubblebeam, which was twice as powerful as Marill's.

"Why are your bubblebeam attacks so powerful?" Max asked.

"Bubblebeam is my signature attack! I only have Pokémon that know it, and I make them perfect it!" Hayley said.

Forretress used venoshock, which hurt Ludicolo really badly. Ludicolo used brick break, but Forretress used counter, making Ludicolo faint. Hayley sent out a Corsola. Spikes were activated, making Corsola get badly hurt. Max remembered he still had Gardevoir. Max decided to go with the same method as he did in the last battle.

"Forretress, use takedown on Corsola and then use self-destruct!" Max said.

Forretress hit Corsola hard and then used self-destruct, making them both faint. Max cheered at his victory.

Max, Grace, and May all celebrated in a restaurant. Grace was talking about her win against Cierra. May had forgotten that Grace had a Munna. She pulled a necklace out of her bag. It had a stone carved like a Munna on it.

"When I was at the Dreamyard in Unova, I saw purchased this. It's carved from a real Moon Stone!" May said.

"Munna, come out and see this!" Grace said.

Munna looked at the necklace and grabbed the little Munna. Suddenly, the stone started glowing, and so did Munna. Munna evolved, and the stone was gone.

"Oh my goodness! Munna! Max, look on the Pokédex to see about this thing!" Grace yelled, surprised. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Musharna, the Drowsing Pokémon, and the evolved form of Munna. The dream mist coming from its forehead changes into many different colors depending on the dream that was eaten."

Grace admired her beautiful Musharna. She apologized to May. She hugged Musharna and smelled the dream dust it was creating. She returned Musharna after Max was called to see the matchups for the next round.

Max looked at the matchups for the full battles. Grace gasped at his pairing. He was up against Cierra! Cierra walked up to him.

"I lost against that loser, but I'm not losing to you." Cierra said. May got angry and almost challenged her to a battle.

"Well, I guess I need to plan my battle against her!" Max said.


	19. Hoenn: Chapter 19

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 19: Battle to the Max… Ever Grande Conference, Pt. Two!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max got six Pokémon ready. His full battle against Cierra was sure to be rough. Cierra's experience in contests would surely give her an edge, but Max's Pokémon savvy gave him a special insight into battling. Their battle was the second one of the day. Max entered the arena. Grace and May nervously watched from the side. Cierra looked extremely confident.

"This will be a full six-on-six battle between Cierra and Max. Each trainer is permitted to substitute Pokémon. When all six of a trainer's Pokémon have fainted, they will not be allowed to proceed to the next round. Begin!" the ref declared.

"Butterfree, take the stage and the sky!" Cierra said.

"Tentacruel, I choose you!" Max said.

Butterfree started spinning and used iron defense. Max realized she was trying to prepare Butterfree for Tentacruel's attacks. Tentacruel used poison sting, but it failed because of Butterfree's defense. Butterfree used supersonic, but Tentacruel's barrier attack blocked the blow. Grace returned Butterfree.

"Scared, Cierra?" Max asked.

"No, just smart. Lets go, Tangrowth!" Cierra yelled. Max knew she was trying to use a type advantage, but he wasn't letting it. Grace looked at it with her Pokédex.

"Tangrowth, the Vine Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tangela. When it remains still, it appears to be a large shrub. Unsuspecting prey that wander near get ensnared by its vines."

Tentacruel used avalanche, which severely hurt Tangrowth. Tangrowth came back with a power whip attack. Tangrowth then flew high into the air and used leaf storm. Tentacruel used barrier to block it. Tentacruel then used ice beam, but Tangrowth's ancient power attack hit the ice beam and made an explosion. Tentacruel used takedown and defeated Tangrowth. Cierra threw out Butterfree again. Tentacruel and Butterfree both used supersonic attacks. The two attacks hit each other and ricocheted onto their users, making them both faint.

"Okay, this is a minor setback. Infernape, take the stage!" Cierra said. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Infernape, the Flame Pokémon, and the evolved form of Monferno. It tosses its enemies around with agility. It uses all its limbs to fight in its own unique style."

"Then I am going with Croconaw!" Max yelled.

Infernape used firespin, trapping Croconaw in a fiery vortex. Croconaw used bubble to break through it and then used hydro pump. Infernape flew across the field. Infernape used flame wheel and dodged all of Croconaw's brine attacks. Croconaw was hit hard but then used dragon claw. Cierra returned Infernape in order to substitute it. She sent out Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur started with a skull bash. Croconaw tried to use ice fang, but Bulbasaur kept it away with a razor leaf. Croconaw used focus punch, but Bulbasaur, again, dodged. Bulbasaur used vine whip. Croconaw got really mad and then attacked Bulbasaur hard. Max realized that Croconaw learned rage! Just as he was going to command another rage attack, Bulbasaur knocked it out with skull bash.

"Go, Magcargo!" Max yelled. Cierra laughed and returned Bulbasaur. She sent out Infernape.

Infernape used fire punch, but Magcargo used iron defense. Infernape's hand was hurt. Magcargo used flamethrower, sending Infernape across the field again. Infernape jumped high into the air and used blaze kick. Magcargo used shell smash, defeating Infernape.

"Casty, my baby boy, lets go!" Cierra said.

Casty immediately used rainy day and then changed forms. It used hydro pump, knocking out Magcargo. Max sent out his fourth Pokémon, Forretress. Forretress used flash cannon into the sky, clearing the weather. Casty turned to the normal form and used tackle. The tackle didn't work, so he used headbutt, which was still ineffective. Forretress used venoshock, knocking it out.

Cierra sent out Bulbasaur, whose skull bash got out Forretress. Max sent out his Gligar. Gligar used steel wing, hurting Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur used petal dance, but Gligar dodged by a lot. Gligar's X-scissor knocked it out.

"Granbull, take the stage!" Cierra said.

Granbull started with a sludge bomb. Gligar was hurt. Gligar tried to use X-scissor, but Granbull's charm attack made it stop. Gligar started flying away, but Granbull's takedown defeated it. Max sent out his last Pokémon: Sceptile.

Sceptile started with a dragon breath attack. Luckily, the attack worked just fine and hurt Granbull hard. Granbull used earthquake. Sceptile used pound attack, and Granbull returned the attack with overheat. Sceptile took lots of damage, but used disable so it couldn't use that move again. Granbull used flamethrower, and Sceptile stopped it with another disable. Sceptile used leaf blade, but then Granbull used metronome. The metronome turned into crabhammer. Granbull slammed its fist on the ground and sent a shockwave at Sceptile. Sceptile used giga drain, but was severely hurt by Granbull's close combat attack. Max decided to use his secret weapon.

"Use frenzy plant!" Max yelled.

Sceptile slammed his fist on the ground and giant roots flew out of the battlefield and defeated Granbull.

"The match goes to Max! He will move on to the quarterfinals!" the ref called. Cierra started screaming.

After Max went back to the trainers' lounge and met with his sister and Grace. Grace high-fived him.

"That was an amazing battle!" Grace yelled.

"No, that was more luck," Cierra said, "I don't lose to losers. Before a few weeks ago, Grace had only beaten me _once_. It was luck. Just luck!"

Cierra started yelling and then ran away crying. Max felt bad for her. She was so obsessed with winning, and getting in only the top-32 was hard for her. She was used to getting up in the semifinals or even finals.

To celebrate, May found one of the best restaurants in Ever Grande to go to. Max loved the food. He had missed May's ability to find awesome restaurants. After returning to their room, Max found a stack of letters on his nightstand. They were from so many different people, like Prof. Oak, Prof. and Mrs. Birch, Misty, Iris, Cilan, Tracey, Dawn and Piplup, his parents, Adalinda, Juan, and even Wallace! All of them wished Max the best of luck in the final rounds. Max felt so happy that there were so many people cheering him on.

Later, they all went to the trainers' lounge once again and met with Dylan. Dylan's walking Pokémon seemed to be a Cacnea.

"Congrats on your win, Max!" Dylan said.

"Thanks, Dylan! How did your round go?" Max asked.

"Well, I think it went well. I got out the other trainer using only my Torterra, Cacnea, and Glameow!" Dylan said.

"What's a Glameow?" Grace asked.

"Well, since I'm from Sinnoh, I have some Pokémon that aren't native to here. Glameow is one of them. You see, she was the first Pokémon I've ever caught, after my starter, of course. I honestly used to hate all Glameow, but after capturing her, I started loving them!" Dylan said. He sent out his Glameow. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Glameow, the Catty Pokémon. When it's happy, Glameow demonstrates beautiful movements of its tail, like a dancing ribbon."

"Wow! She is the most gorgeous thing!" Grace yelled while petting her.

"She is very powerful, too! Would you like to meet more of my Pokémon?" Dylan asked. Grace was extremely eager to see them.

They walked out into a courtyard. Glameow and Cacnea were already out, so Dylan only threw out four Pokéballs. Out came a Torterra, an Ambipom, Cradily, and Eevee. They were all so well cared for. May scanned Torterra and Ambipom with her Pokédex.

"Torterra, the Continent Pokémon, and the evolved form of Grotle. Small Pokémon occasionally gather on its unmoving back to begin building their nests."

"Ambipom, the Long Tail Pokémon, and the evolved form of Aipom. To eat, it deftly shucks nuts with its two tails. It rarely uses its arms now."

"Where are Swellow and Igglybuff?" Max asked.

"Well, Swellow and _Jigglypuff_ are at Prof. Rowan's lab. I rotate my Pokémon out. I actually have about four Pokémon at his lab at this point in time." Dylan replied.

"I'm doing that for this competition!" Max said.

Dylan returned all of his Pokémon except Cacnea. Suddenly, a Snorunt ran by, screaming. Three guys ran after it while simultaneously throwing rocks at it. Max ran after them. They were hurting it really badly.

"Why are you doing that?" Max asked.

"I lost my battle because of this dumb Snorunt, so I released it and now I'm showing it a lesson." One of the guys said. The Snorunt was screaming in pain and sorrow. Max got really angry.

"Go, Sceptile, come out and use frenzy plant on these idiots!" Max said.

The frenzy plant sent the three guys out of the courtyard. Max threw a Pokéball at Snorunt, capturing it. The Pokéball teleported away.

May, Max, Dylan, and Grace went to the main arena to see the matchups for the next round. Max started panicking at his pairing. He was against Colby in the last battle of the day.

He could hardly sleep. He was extremely nervous about which Pokémon Colby would use. All Max knew was that he had to win no matter what.


	20. Hoenn: Chapter 20

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 20: Biggest Battle Ever… Ever Grande Conference, Pt. Three!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max had a whole day to prepare for his battle with Colby, but he only used a few minutes of it to switch out his Pokémon. Oak told him that his new Snorunt was so distrusting of people that it had to be kept in its Pokéball for most of the day.

Soon, it was time for his battle against Colby. Max was so nervous, but he knew he his Pokémon were strong enough to win. Colby was on the other side, looking extremely confident. This was the battle Max had been waiting forever for. The ref stated the rules and the battle started.

"I choose Shiftry!" Colby said.

"Magcargo, go!" Max yelled.

"Shiftry, start with a shadow ball-energy ball combination!" Colby yelled.

"Counter with ancient power!" Max commanded.

Ancient power and the shadow balls and energy balls collided into a giant explosion. Magcargo used shell smash, which collided with Shiftry's pound attack Shiftry used swords dance and then giga impact while Magcargo used harden to minimalize damage. Shiftry was hurt with extreme recoil. Shiftry used nature power, which turned into swift. Magcargo used flamethrower, but Shiftry used harden to minimalize the damage. Shiftry jumped into the air and used bide. Magcargo's earth power attack fueled the bide.

Shiftry released the energy, but Magcargo protected itself with iron defense. Colby returned Shiftry and sent out a Starmie. Grace scanned it with her Pokédex.

"Starmie, the Mysterious Pokémon, and the evolved form of Staryu. Starmie swims through water by spinning its star-shaped body as if it were a propeller on a ship. The core at the center of this Pokémon's body glows in seven colors."

Starmie used hydro pump, immediately defeating Magcargo. Max sent out Sceptile. Sceptile used energy ball, but Starmie's light screen attack protected it. Sceptile used bullet seed, but Starmie's harden made the damage minimal. Sceptile used frenzy plant, but Starmie simply dodged by jumping on the roots. Starmie used a strong bubblebeam, but was quickly returned. Colby sent out his Torkoal.

Torkoal started with a flamethrower, but Sceptile dodged and used leaf storm. Torkoal used solar beam, followed by a flame charge. Max returned Sceptile and substituted Tentacruel. Tentacruel used bubblebeam, but Torkoal used withdraw to protect itself. Torkoal used solar beam, but Tentacruel dodged and used hydro pump. Torkoal used flame charge and slammed into the hydro pump, creating an explosion. Tentacruel protected itself from the explosion with barrier, but Torkoal was knocked out.

"Shiftry, I need you once again!" Colby yelled.

Shiftry came right out and used leaf storm right off. Tentacruel used screech and then aurora beam. After, Tentacruel used supersonic, making Shiftry confused. Colby returned Shiftry and sent out Starmie. Starmie used swift, but Tentacruel used barrier. Tentacruel knocked Starmie out with a takedown attack. Colby sent back Shifty and it used dark pulse. Tentacruel used skull bash, but Shiftry absorbed the energy from it with bide and shot it back. Tentacruel was defeated.

"Colby is really smart." May said.

"What do you mean?" Grace asked.

"Colby has obviously planned this battle well. He has so far been using a very well rounded team: Water, Grass, and Fire. I think he wasn't trying to go very far with those Pokémon. I think he was using them to try to get Max to reveal as many of the Pokémon he will be using as possible. I have a feeling that after Shiftry is done, he will be using only the strongest Pokémon in his possession." May suggested.

"You might be right. He hasn't used his Swampert, Gabite, or Ursaring yet, and those are his best Pokémon." Grace said.

"Stantler, I choose you!" Max said.

Stantler started with an extrasensory attack. Shiftry used bide and sent the energy back at them. Stantler used leer at it and then used earthquake. Shiftry used leaf storm, but Stantler protected itself with light screen and used jump kick. Shiftry retaliated with a pound. Stantler finished Shiftry with an energy ball attack.

"Go, Ursaring!" Colby yelled.

Stantler started using jump kick on Ursaring, but then stopped. Colby started laughing loudly.

"Your dumb Stantler remembers how strong Ursaring is. Before you caught it, Ursaring basically destroyed it." Colby said.

Ursaring ran at it with full speed, but Stantler dodged fearfully. Max returned Stantler and sent out Skiploom.

"Is your Ursaring scared of Skiploom? After all, Skiploom did beat Ursaring in the Johto Festival!" Max laughed.

"My Ursaring would never be scared of a pipsqueak like that!" Colby laughed.

Ursaring used focus punch while Skiploom used bide. Skiploom sent the energy back at Ursaring. Ursaring used lick, paralyzing Skiploom. Skiploom got over the paralysis and used tackle. Ursaring used counter to give the damage back to Skiploom at double. Skiploom used bullet seed. Ursaring used an ice punch attack to defeat Skiploom. Max sent out Swalot.

"Max, I'm sorry, but you are going down! We both have three Pokémon left, but two of yours are worn out and two of mine are completely fine." Colby said confidently.

Swalot used stockpile. Ursaring used slash, but Swalot's squishy body made the attack ineffective. Swalot used another stockpile. Ursaring used hyperbeam, but Swalot dodged and used rock smash on Ursaring. Finally, Swalot used one last stockpile, and then used spit up, knocking Ursaring out. Colby didn't seem to mind.

"Go, Garchomp!" Colby yelled. Grace was surprised that his Gabite evolved. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gabite. Its body is covered in fine scales that reduce drag, enabling it to fly at high speeds."

"Colby knows that Max's Sceptile knows Dragon-type attacks, which will be effective against Garchomp. I think that Colby has a plan to get Sceptile out using Garchomp. I hope Max doesn't fall into his trap and send out Sceptile." May said.

Max chuckled at Colby's choice. He returned Swalot.

"Colby, this battle is ending soon. Sceptile, come on out!" Max yelled. Grace became extremely concerned.

"Garchomp, use sandstorm and then fire fang!" Colby said.

A giant sandstorm stirred up and Garchomp flew out of the sandstorm and used fire fang. Sceptile yelped as it was engulfed in flames. Sceptile fell over and then used dragon claw. Garchomp was hurt but then shot into the sky. Sceptile used dragon breath, but missed. Garchomp flew down at a sonic speed using double-edge. Sceptile dodged and Garchomp hit the ground extremely hard. She got back up and flew at Sceptile using fire fang. Sceptile hit Garchomp with a powerful dragon breath before Garchomp could make contact.

"Garchomp, use draco meteor!" Colby said.

Garchomp sent an orb into the sky and it exploded into many more orbs. They fell down and created giant explosions. Sceptile was badly damaged, so Max was forced to substitute him.

"Go, Stantler!" he yelled. Garchomp seemed ready to fight.

"Just get it out with poison jab." Colby commanded.

Garchomp's claw started glowing purple and she slammed it on the ground. A giant purple shockwave flew at Stantler and immediately knocked it out. Max cringed. Max decided to send Sceptile back out.

Sceptile immediately used dragon breath followed by dragon claw, making Garchomp faint. Colby laughed.

"This may be my last Pokémon, but he is my strongest. Go, Swampert!" Colby yelled. Grace scanned it with her Pokédex.

"Swampert, the Mud Fish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Marshtomp. Swampert is very strong. It has enough power to easily drag a boulder weighing more than a ton. This Pokémon also has powerful vision that lets it see even in murky water."

"Sceptile, use energy ball!" Max commanded.

"Swampert, use hydro pump!" Colby said.

The two attacks collided, creating an explosion. Swampert ran surprisingly fast at Sceptile and used hammer arm, followed by sludge wave and then tackle. Sceptile used leaf blade and then low sweep. Swampert finished off Sceptile with an earthquake attack.

"Swalot, I'm counting on you to win!" Max yelled, sending out Swalot.

Swalot used stockpile and then spit up. The attack barely effected Swampert, who used attract. The attack failed, as they were both male. Swalot used encore to make Swampert only able to use attract. Swalot used sludge.

After using attract about a dozen times, encore wore off and Swampert used earthquake. Swalot was badly hurt.

"Swampert, finish this whole thing with hydro cannon!" Colby commanded.

The hydro cannon attack hit extremely hard. Swalot was just about to faint, when Max told it to use rest. Swalot fell asleep and started to heal itself.

"Hah! Now it can't attack, genius! Swampert, use tackle!" Colby said.

"Swalot, use sleep talk!" Max commanded. Colby gasped. Grace pulled out her Pokédex to find out more about sleep talk.

"Sleep talk. Sleep talk is a Normal-type attack. While it is asleep, the user randomly uses one of the moves it knows."

Swampert ran towards Swalot. In its sleep, Swalot let out a full-power solar beam. Swampert took lots of damage. Its next sleep talk turned to a gastro acid attack. Swalot then used rock smash via sleep talk. Swampert fainted and Swalot woke up.

"Swampert is unable to battle. The match goes to Max!" the ref called.

May and Grace started cheering wildly, along with the rest of the crowd. Colby looked up at Max. Max was expecting a scowl, but instead saw a smile on his face. Max and Colby met in the middle of the field.

"This was the best battle I have ever had. Thank you. I don't even really care that I lost." Colby said. Max had never seen him like this. For once, he looked happy.

Later in the day, Max, May, and Grace were taking a walk outside of the main arena. Max was only in the top-8 so far, but he felt like he had won the whole thing. He looked down to the port, and he saw Colby and his Absol walking. Max ran ahead of May and Grace to talk to him.

"Colby, where are you going? Aren't you going to watch the rest of the tournament?" Max asked.

"No. I am taking the ferry to Vermilion City in Kanto. I left all of my Pokémon except for Absol at Birch's lab. I'm making a fresh start. Thank you for being my rival. I don't know what it was, but that battle changed me a lot." Colby replied.

"Well, I wish you the best. Maybe we will meet again one day!" Max said.

Colby went on the ferry. Max waved goodbye as the ferry went out to see.

Afterwards, Max looked to the pairings for the next day. He was to go against Dylan. He knew this would be an intense battle.


	21. Hoenn: Chapter 21

**Advanced Generation: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 21: A Clean Slate… Ever Grande Conference, Pt. Four!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max entered the arena. His battle against Dylan was beginning! Max knew he could take him. After all, he did defeat Colby! The ref called out the rules. The battle started!

"I choose you, Flareon!" Dylan said. Max didn't know that Dylan's Eevee evolved! Max sent out Tentacruel for the type advantage.

Flareon started things with a skull bash attack. Tentacruel used hydro pump, but Flareon effortlessly dodged and used swift. Tentacruel was about to use takedown, but Flareon used baby-doll eyes to make it back off. Tentacruel used poison sting, and Flareon dodged.

"Dylan's Pokémon are amazing. Max is going to have to try really hard to win!" May said, concerned.

Flareon used growl, and Tentacruel used hydro pump. To get the energy it lost back, Flareon used refresh. Flareon used charm, and Tentacruel started backing off from attacking. Flareon used fire fang and then smog. Tentacruel couldn't see because of the smog. Flareon jumped from behind it and used lava plume. Tentacruel was about to use hydro pump, but it lost focus and stopped after Flareon used confide. Flareon finished it off with skull bash.

"I choose you, Gligar!" Max yelled. Dylan substituted Flareon for Cacnea.

Cacnea used sandstorm. Gligar couldn't see, and Cacnea used pin missile on it. The sandstorm calmed, and Cacnea used poison sting. Gligar used harden to protect itself, and then used dark pulse. Cacnea dodged and used needle arm and finished it with drain punch.

"Go! Magcargo!" Max said.

"I'll substitute Cradily for Cacnea!" Dylan said.

Cradily started with an energy ball, but Magcargo used iron defense. Cradily then used brine, which really hurt it. Magcargo used flamethrower. Cradily used acid and then brine again. Magcargo was knocked out. Max sent out his Gardevoir. Dylan substituted out his Swellow.

Gardevoir kept using teleport, but Swellow was able to use agility to keep up with it and use air slash. Gardevoir used a powerful psychic to nearly defeat Swellow. Gardevoir tried to defeat Swellow with a fire punch attack, but Swellow used endure to stay in the battle. Swellow used roost and then brave bird, defeating Gardevoir. Dylan returned Swellow and then sent out Glameow.

"I choose Sceptile!" Max yelled.

Sceptile used energy ball, and Glameow destroyed the ball with slash and then used shadow claw on Sceptile. Sceptile used dragon claw. Glameow bounced out of the way with its tail and used attract. Sceptile was infatuated.

Glameow used hidden power and then thunderbolt. Sceptile snapped out of his infatuation and used leaf blade. Glameow easily dodged and used assist. The assist turned into secret power, which paralyzed Sceptile. Glameow finished him with quick attack. Max sent out Swalot. Dylan returned Glameow and sent out Torterra.

"Max barely landed a hit on Dylan! He still has all of his Pokémon in perfect condition. Swalot would have to pull of a miracle to win this." Grace said. Suddenly, a few familiar faces sat next to May and Grace.

Swalot used stockpile two times. Torterra used iron head. Swalot used spit up, but it hardly affected Torterra. Torterra used frenzy plant, badly hurting Swalot. Swalot used gastro acid. Torterra used stockpile and then paralyzed Swalot with secret power. Torterra finished Swalot with spit up.

"Swalot is unable to battle! Dylan will proceed to the next round." The ref called. Max returned Swalot and walked away.

He walked into the trainers' lounge and saw Grace, May, Caroline, Oak, and Birch. Max fell into his mother's arms, sobbing. May left back to Unova the next day.

Over the next three days, Max watched Dylan make his way to the top. He even got to see his Ambipom, Jigglypuff, Tropius, and Dusclops battle. Finally, Dylan won the entire competition. Dylan approached Max after the awards ceremony. Max got a top-8 plaque.

"Max, are you going to come to the Elite Four Stadium to watch my battles against the Elite Four next week?" Dylan asked.

"No, sorry. I have to go back home." Max responded. Dylan and Max said their goodbyes. Max, Grace, Caroline, Oak, and Birch entered a ferry.

At three in the morning, Oak woke Max up. They walked on to the deck. Oak had all sorts of equipment pointing towards the sky. Birch was looking at one of the screens and Grace was looking up at the sky.

"The reason we came, other than to watch you, was to see the Mirage Spots. Mirage Spots are a strange phenomenon that happens around this time of year in Hoenn. The conditions are perfect for them to happen just about now, so expect to see some Spots and maybe even a legendary Pokémon or two!" Oak said.

Max and Grace looked into the sky. Suddenly, two large portals opened. Max couldn't believe what he was seeing. Four Pokémon emerged from the spots and started flying around. Even Max couldn't identify them, so he had to pull out his Pokédex to scan them.

"Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon. A legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh. It is said that space becomes more stable with Palkia's every breath."

"Dialga, the Temporal Pokémon. A legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh. It is said that time flows when Dialga's heart beats."

"Zekrom, the Deep Black Pokémon. Concealing itself in lightning clouds, it flies throughout the Unova region. It creates electricity in its tail."

"Reshiram, the Vast White Pokémon. This legendary Pokémon can scorch the world with fire. It helps those who want to build a world of truth."

The Pokémon flew high into the air. Reshiram blew out blue flames and Dialga sent out a green dragon breath attack. They weren't attacking each other. They were simply sending out their attacks to communicate. None of them seemed to notice the boat below.

"They are so beautiful!" Grace said.

"Yeah…" Max whispered, awestruck.

"We are analyzing their behavior right now. This information will give us a great insight into the lives of these Pokémon as well as the mysteries of Mirage Spots." Oak said.

"We think that Mirage Spots happen after the legendary Pokémon do something to disrupt the special makeup of the area that they are in and this brings them to Hoenn temporarily. We don't know if this hypothesis is correct and we may never know." Birch said.

The four Pokémon soon returned into the Mirage Spots. The spots closed. Max and Grace couldn't sleep for the rest of the night, as they were so fascinated by what happened.

In two days, the group arrived in Littleroot Town. Caroline went ahead to Petalburg, but Grace and Max decided to stay in Littleroot for the day. They entered the lab. Birch and Oak immediately started analyzing their findings. Max and Grace soon saw Dawn.

"Hey guys! I heard that you got top-8, Max. Good job!" Dawn yelled.

Dawn led Max and Grace to the area where Birch kept Pokémon. Grace ran to her little Wynaut. Max saw Colby's Garchomp, Cloyster, and Swampert, all of which greeted him warmly. Colby's Ursaring ignored him, his Starmie was indifferent, and his Raticate was aggressive towards him. Torkoal and Shiftry were too busy playing. Garchomp followed Max. He didn't realize what a sweet Pokémon she was!

"Dawn, can you please send my Wynaut over to Prof. Elm? I kind of want him in my home region!" Grace asked. Dawn went and did that.

After doing that, Max, Grace, and Dawn sat down over a small lunch.

"Dawn, you and my sister are going to Sinnoh after she gets back from Unova, right?" Max asked.

"Yeah, but that won't be for over a month and a half." Dawn said.

"Well, I don't know about Grace, but I want to come!" Max said.

"Okay!" Dawn said.

"I can come, too! I know Cierra is headed there soon. I want to beat her again!" Grace laughed.

"But, that's in a long time. What will you two do until then?" Dawn asked.

"I was thinking that we could go to Johto and I could compete in the Battle Frontier." Max said.

"That sounds great! Can we go to my house to see my family before then, though?" Grace asked. Max agreed.

Soon, Max went to the phone to call Tracey. He asked Tracey to send over his Snorunt in exchange for his Tentacruel. Oak arranged tickets to the port at Cherrygrove City, leaving in two days. Max and Grace went to Petalburg to see Max's family. Norman was proud of his son.

Max walked to his room and put his Badge Case on display on his dresser. He hung the top-8 plaque on his wall. He and Grace went to the greenhouse. Max sent out his Snorunt, who got scared and jumped into Grace's arms.

"I guess it likes me!" Grace laughed. Snorunt used leer at Max when he tried to walk close to him. Max returned the small Pokémon.

The next day, they walked to the ferry in Littleroot Town. They boarded the ferry to Cherrygrove. Max's Snorunt was tight in Grace's arms. Whenever Max even tried to walk near it, it would use leer and then powder snow.

It took almost five days, but they made it to Cherrygrove City! Max ran out into the fresh air. Grace was so excited to be home.

They walked to the outskirts of the town where there were large fields of wildflowers were. Grace spotted her house; it was a medium-sized house with a beautiful garden in the front. She ran to it and Max struggled after her. She pulled a silver key out of her bag and opened the door.

"Hi everyone!" Grace yelled. She didn't see anyone.

Everything inside was a mess. It looked as if the family was attacked. Suddenly, Grace screamed. Max looked to see a certain Dark-type Pokémon sitting on the toppled-over couch.


	22. Johto Battle Frontier: Chapter 1

**Johto Battle Frontier: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 1: As the Murkrow Flies**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

 **Background:** This is the new part of the story! I am not making a new story, because it's just a pain. Enjoy Part 2 of Max's Adventures!

"My Murkrow! What is it doing here?" Grace screamed, stepping away from it. Max returned Snorunt in case a battle broke out.

The house was a mess. Murkrow apparently had been attacking everything. Murkrow flew at Grace, knocking her over. It started using peck on her head! Suddenly, a man ran into the room. He tried to return Murkrow, but Murkrow dodged it and flew around the room.

"Grace? What are you doing here?" the man asked.

"I'll explain later, dad. Just return that awful thing to its Pokéball!" Grace yelled. Her dad tried, but Murkrow kept dodging. Soon, an older couple and a younger woman walked in. They were Grace's grandparents and mother. Her younger brother, Joey, also walked in.

"I'll help! Go, Swalot!" Max yelled.

Swalot used pound. Murkrow used shadow ball, immediately defeating Swalot. Murkrow then flew onto Max's shoulder and started rubbing its head against Max's cheek. Grace's father returned Murkrow into its ball. Max and Grace explained who Max was. Her father smiled.

"Well, Grace's Murkrow seems to like you!" her dad exclaimed, patting Max's shoulder. Her mother looked mad, as did Joey.

"Grace, we can catch up later. First I want you to take back your Murkrow!" her mom yelled.

"About that… I left Murkrow at great-granny and grandpa's Day Care. Why is it here now?" Grace asked.

"Well, it was harassing the baby Pokémon so they sent it here. It's a horrible pain!" her mom yelled.

"I have six Pokémon in my party. I can't take Murkrow." Grace said.

"Send one to your great-grandparents Day Care! But not a deranged one like this!" her mom yelled.

Max, Joey, Grace's parents, and Grace walked outside of the house.

"Okay everyone, the curtain's up! Come meet my family!" Grace yelled.

Meganium, Dustox, Musharna, Seaking, Volbeat, and Pikachu all landed in front of them.

"Guys, I need two of you to go help my great-grandparents take care of baby Pokémon on their farm. Who wants to do it?" Grace asked. Pikachu and Musharna immediately showed interest. Grace started tearing up.

Joey played with Meganium, Dustox, and Volbeat. Grace returned Seaking and carried Pikachu to the Pokémon Center. Musharna sat on her head. Max tagged along behind her.

Max asked why she is sending two Pokémon, and she said that she was going to go to New Bark Town to retrieve her Wynaut.

She called her great-grandparents.

"Hello, Grace! I heard about your accomplishments in the Grand Festival! Congratulations!" her great-grandmother said. Her great-grandfather looked disapproving of her being a coordinator.

"I still think it's a bad idea!" he yelled. Grace looked upset by his words. Suddenly, her Blissey and Chingling popped up and smiled at her.

"Wow! Blissey and Chingling!" Max said, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Blissey, the Happiness Pokémon, and the evolved form of Chansey. It has a very compassionate nature. If it sees a sick Pokémon, it will nurse the sufferer back to health."

"Chingling, the Bell Pokémon. It emits cries by agitating an orb at the back of its throat. It moves with flouncing hops."

"Blissey is a great help with raising the younglings and nursing the sick ones. Chingling always sings them to sleep and makes sure they are healthy. So you want to send over some Pokémon?" her great-grandmother asked.

"Yes, granny! I am sending my Pikachu and Musharna!" Grace said. She started crying a little. She returned Pikachu to her Cherish Ball and Musharna into its Pokéball. After transporting them over, she started crying. "Take good care of my girls!"

Her great-grandmother soon hung up. Grace and Max went back to her home. Grace put her top-4 plaque up on her wall and put her full Ribbon Case on display next to her Johto one on her nightstand. She received her Murkrow's Pokéball.

That night, she and Max ate dinner at Grace's house and stayed overnight. The next day, Grace and Max went to New Bark Town, just a few miles away, to get Wynaut. At the lab, Grace received her Wynaut from Elm. A girl soon walked in.

"Hi… I'm Charlotte. I'm supposed to receive my first Pokémon today." The girl said to Elm. Elm grabbed three Pokéballs. He sent out Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita.

"You have a choice of these three!" Elm said. Max and Grace watched her look at them.

"I want to be a Fire-type master one day, so I choose Cyndaquil!" she said. She received her Pokédex and Cyndaquil's Pokéball. Charlotte walked over to Max.

"Yes, Charlotte?" Max asked.

"Will you please battle me?" she asked.

"Well… sure!" Max said.

Grace decided to be the ref.

"Go, Cyndaquil!" Charlotte yelled.

"I choose you, Swalot." Max said.

Cyndaquil used tackle, but Swalot's soft body made it bounce back. Cyndaquil used ember, but it hardly worked. Swalot knocked Cyndaquil out with a rock smash attack. Charlotte returned it.

"You are obviously stronger than I thought… You beat me… One day I will beat you!" Charlotte said sinisterly. Max back away from her as she ran off.

Max and Grace went back to Cherrygrove. Grace and Max went to the port and bought two tickets to Olivine City. After a brief goodbye from Grace's family, they went on a ferry. After arriving in Olivine City that night, they stayed overnight at the Pokémon Center and then took the ferry to the Battle Frontier early in the morning. They arrived at the beautiful island late in the afternoon. Grace and Max check in to one of the hotels (called 'The Swanna') with the money that they got from Grace's family. Max also signed up for the Battle Frontier at the front desk.

"This is your park pass and this is your Frontier Portfolio, to put your Prints in. For every Frontier Print you earn, the price of your room will decrease by 25%. There are five Battle Areas: the Battle Arcade, the Battle Factory, the Battle Hall, the Battle Castle, and the Battle Tower. You must defeat four of the Frontier Brains to gain access to the Battle Tower, though. To battle the Frontier Brain of a certain Battler Area, you will have to meet specific criteria. Thank you for entering the Johto Battle Frontier!" the woman said.

Max admired his Portfolio. It looked like a book and had the Frontier logo on the front. Inside there were five spaces where you could put each print.

Max and Grace went to their room, which was pretty large. It had one common area with a TV and a sofa-bed plus a small kitchen. In a little closet there was a Pokémon transporter and PC to call whomever had the Pokémon you were using. There were also two bedrooms, each equipped with a TV, closet, and bathroom.

"Well this is our home away from home for the next month!" Grace said.

"It feels kind of weird to be staying in one place for so long after travelling." Max remarked. Grace agreed.

Max and Grace went outside of the hotel and took the tram to the 'Downtown Frontier' area. This area had many shops and stores as well as fun activities. Max looked at a map of the island while Grace looked around in a nearby store. The island had several parts: The Swanna and Goldeen Hotels, Downtown Frontier, Boardwalk & Beach, the Private Villa section, and the Island Wilderness. There were Battle Areas spread throughout. The Battle Tower, Battle Hall, and Battle Arcade were all in Downtown.

Max and Grace kept on walking when Grace pointed out Brendan Birch in a nearby store. They ran over to talk to him.

"Hi, are you Brendan?" Max asked.

"Yes… can I help you?" Brendan said.

"We are friends of your father. Grace and Max?" Grace told him.

"Oh! My dad told me you two would come here!" Brendan said. He took them over to the tram and they road to the Private Villa section. Brendan walked them to his ginormous beachside villa. Many, many Pokémon greeted them.

"Brendan, you have so many!" Grace exclaimed.

"Yeah… See, I got that Shiftry on my first Hoenn journey. That Golem I have had since it was an egg. Espeon over there is like a pet to me. I got that Beldum from Steven Stone himself. Audino was captured on my brief trip to Unova. That Golbat was a gift from my dad after I came back from Sinnoh. Um… I caught Yanma pretty recently back home in Hoenn. Roserade I raised from a Budew." Brendan explained all of his Pokémon.

Max, Grace, and Brendan started talking about the Battle Frontier.

"I obviously have a couple of choices of who to battle first: Battle Factory, Battle Arcade, Battle Hall, or Battle Castle. What is your opinion?" Max asked.

"I would battle Dahlia at the Battle Arcade first. She is probably the most fun to battle and she will get you prepared will for the others. She has Fire and Ghost-types, so I would go with Bug and Water-types. Have any?" Brendan asked.

"Well, not really. I had to send my Tentacruel into storage for a while. My Croconaw could work, and so could my Forretress. I was hoping I could get and use as many new Pokémon as I could, though." Max said.

"Then catch a new one! The Island Wilderness is a great place to catch Pokémon. Go there first thing tomorrow!" Brendan said.

They went back on the tram and returned to the Downtown area. Max found a Pokéball shop and bought a Net Ball, as they were good for catching Bug and Water-types. The next morning, Max sent Magcargo to Oak and went over to the Island Wilderness.

After searching for hours, a Surskit challenged Max to a battle.

"Surskit should be a good choice!" Max said. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Surskit, the Pond Skater Pokémon. They usually live on ponds, but after an evening shower, they may appear on puddles in towns."

"Its so cute!" Grace yelled. Surskit got angry by this remark and used bubble on Grace. Max chucked and sent out Gardevoir.

Gardevoir used growl. Surskit just got angry by this and used shadow ball. Gardevoir was hit badly and used confusion. Surskit was hurt, but used solar beam on Gardevoir. Gardevoir finally weakened it with dazzling gleam. Max threw the Net Ball at it. After a few shakes, he caught the Surskit.

"Yeah! I got Surskit!" Max yelled.

Soon they went back to the hotel. In a courtyard, Grace and Max both sent out all of their Pokémon to introduce them to Surskit. Murkrow flew onto Max's head and Snorunt jumped into Grace's arms. A woman walked near them.

"Excuse me, but I just wanted to say how great I think it is that you two have such nice relationships with your Murkrow and Snorunt!" the lady said.

"Actually this is his Snorunt and my Murkrow!" Grace said.

"Well, it seems like it should be the other way around." The woman remarked, walking away. Max and Grace looked at each other.

They returned their Pokéballs. Max held Snorunt's Pokéball in his hand and Grace held Murkrow's.

"Should we… trade?" Max asked.

"Well, Murkrow obviously likes you more than me but… it was my first Pokémon. I don't know how easily I could let it go…" Grace said.

"Yeah… I saved Snorunt from those crooks back at the conference, so I kind of feel like it is my responsibility." Max said.

"But… Murkrow hates me and Snorunt is scared of you. I think _they_ made up their minds." Grace remarked. Max and Grace asked the concierge where there was a trading machine. They were told to go to the Battle Arcade.

After taking the tram, they went into the battle arcade. There were video games and fun activities as far as the eye could see. Max knew he would be there for his battle the next day. They reached the trading machine. The transaction was quick, and Grace even cried a little.

Now Max had two new members of his team: Surskit and Murkrow. He was ready for his battle the next day!


	23. Johto Battle Frontier: Chapter 2

**Johto Battle Frontier: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 2: Battling a Shooting Star**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max and Grace walked into the Battle Arcade. Max walked to the front desk to find out how to battle Dahlia.

"To battle Dahlia, you will need to play these arcade games. If you get a high score on any of the games, the machine will give you a golden pass, which is the equivalent of a ticket at any other arcade. But, if you still play a game but don't get a high score, you will get a certain amount of regular passes. If you bring one golden pass or 10,000 regular passes, you will be permitted to battle Arcade Star Dahlia." The man at the desk said. Max got his park pass scanned and started.

Grace went to go play a racing game so she could get enough passes to buy a stuffed Teddiursa toy. Max looked around and saw a game called 'Battle the Masters.' He turned it on and saw that it allowed you to play against virtual versions of the Champions of several regions.

Max looked at the rules. He put in all six of his Pokémon to a scanner and the machines made virtual versions of them. The machine selected four random moves of each of the Pokémon and limited Max to using only those moves. It also gave each Pokémon a 'level' based on their strength. Max looked at the options of who to 'battle': Lance of the Indigo Plateau League, Wallace of the Hoenn League, Cynthia of the Sinnoh League, Alder of the Unova League, and Diantha of the Kalos League. Max decided to go against Lance. The high score for beating Lance was three, meaning the person who did it beat three of Lance's six Pokémon.

Max pressed started. He was shown sprites of his Pokémon and asked to pick one to start. He chose Gligar. Gligar was apparently on level 34. The Pokémon Lance 'used,' a shiny Gyarados, was level 56.

The four moves that Gligar were limited to were harden, fire fang, dark pulse, and steel wing.

Lance's Gyarados used hydro pump, which put Gligar's HP at 2. Max pressed the button that indicated steel wing. The attack made Gyarados's HP yellow instead of green. Gyarados used twister to defeat Gligar.

Max then pressed the button that sent out Surskit. Surskit was on level 29. Its attacks were limited to bubble, shadow ball, solar beam, and aqua jet. He started with a solar beam, but all the machine said was that Surskit was 'gathering energy.' Gyarados used hyper beam, but according to the machine, Surskit 'avoided the attack.' Solar beam brought down Gyarados's HP to red. Gyarados used bite and knocked Surskit out. Max sent out Murkrow, whose moves were limited to shadow ball, dark pulse, wing attack, and psychic. Its level was 34.

Murkrow was able to get Gyarados out with one dark pulse attack. Next, Lance sent out his signature Dragonite, which was at level 60. Murkrow was immediately defeated by Dragonite's outrage attack.

Max's Swalot was defeated easily. Gardevoir was next to be sent out. Gardevoir was at level 49 and was limited to the moves growl, dazzling gleam, fire punch, and teleport. Gardevoir's dazzling gleam immediately defeated Dragonite. Lance then used a level 54 Dragonair. Gardevoir's dazzling gleam was ineffective because Dragonair used safeguard. Dragonair used a hyper beam, which defeated Gardevoir. Max sent out Sceptile, which was on level 53 and limited to the moves pound, dragon claw, energy ball, and fury cutter.

Sceptile was able to defeat Dragonair with a dragon claw. Next, Lance used a level 58 Aerodactyl. Sceptile's fury cutter attack did very little damage. Aerodactyl used ancient power, which put Sceptile's HP down to the yellows. Sceptile used dragon claw, which did significant damage. After Aerodactyl used scary face, Sceptile finished it with another dragon claw. Lance sent out a level 72 Dragonite, which used ice beam to finish Sceptile.

Suddenly, a single golden pass came from the small slot in the machine. Max realized that the last high score was three, meaning the person beat three of his Pokémon. Max had beaten four!

Max ran to the front desk and gave them the pass. The man pressed a button. Suddenly, music started playing loudly and an announcer called Max to the back room. Max found Grace and they went to a room where there was a Pokémon battlefield. He saw Arcade Star Dahlia on the other side of the field.

"Welcome everybody! This battle will be between Arcade Star Dahlia of the Sinnoh region and Max of the Hoenn region. Let's begin!" the announcer called.

"This battle will be a five-on-five! The challenger may switch Pokémon, but the Frontier Brain may not. Let's begin!" the ref called.

"Hello, Max! Let me just tell you this battle will not be easy for you! Be a star, my Staryu!" Dahlia called. Max thought she only had Ghost and Fire-types, so her Staryu gave him a surprise.

"Sceptile, I choose you!" he yelled.

Staryu started with a harden while Sceptile used giga impact. Staryu went flying but landed perfectly on its feet and then spun around. It used hydro pump. Sceptile was hit hard but then used bullet seed. Staryu used a powerful flash cannon attack. Sceptile finished it off with leaf blade.

"Nice job! But, you will not be able to defeat Dusknoir!" Dahlia yelled.

Dusknoir came out and immediately used nightshade. The attack did lots of damage on Sceptile. Dusknoir kept on using nightshade, but Sceptile started dodging. Finally, Dusknoir's red eye turned pink and a heart came out. It was attract! Sceptile became infatuated and ran at Dusknoir.

"Your Dusknoir is a… girl?" Max asked, slightly disturbed.

"Yep! She is Queen of the Ghost-types." Dahlia laughed.

Dusknoir used nightshade on the infatuated Sceptile, defeating him. Max sent out Surskit.

Surskit used water sport to make the ground wet. Surskit started skating around on the wet floor. Dusknoir tried to use brick break on it, but Surskit was able to dodge. Surskit used signal beam followed by aqua jet. Dusknoir used attract. Surskit became infatuated.

"What? I didn't know Surskit was a boy!" Max said, returning him. He sent out Gardevoir.

Dusknoir's attract didn't work on Gardevoir, as they were both girls. Gardevoir used magical leaf. Dusknoir used dark pulse, which was extremely effective on Gardevoir. It then used secret power, but Gardevoir dodged with teleport. Gardevoir used fire punch, and then finished it with icy wind.

"You'll be seeing stars after you meet my Clefairy!" Dahlia yelled.

"It's so cute!" Grace yelled, pulling out her Pokédex.

"Clefairy, the Fairy Pokémon, and the evolved form of Cleffa. The moonlight that it stores in the wings on its back apparently gives it the ability to float in midair."

Clefairy ran towards Gardevoir and used shock wave. Gardevoir became paralyzed. Clefairy used growl and then meteor mash. Gardevoir fainted. Max sent out Swalot.

Swalot used sludge. Clefairy was poisoned, but started using metronome. After metronome finished, Clefairy sent out a large roar and then a powerful dark blue beam of energy, defeating Swalot. Max had no idea what attack that was, so he pulled out his Pokédex.

"Roar of Time. Roar of Time is a Dragon-type attack, and signature move of Dialga. The user blasts the target with power that distorts even time. The user can't move on the next turn."

Clefairy fainted from the power it just unleashed plus the poison. Max knew they both had two Pokémon left.

"Go, my star Blaziken!" Dahlia yelled. Max got nervous.

"Surskit, come out again!" Max said.

Surskit used water sport, making the entire field, including Blaziken, wet. Blaziken ran to Surskit, trying to use peck. Blaziken tripped on the water. Surskit used bubble. Blaziken tried to use rock smash, but tripped again. Finally, it used a slash attack. Surskit used another water sport to make the field even more wet and then used aqua jet. Blaziken tried blaze kick, but it was very weak because Blaziken was wet. Surskit used yet another water sport, which made Blaziken's fire punch attack ineffective.

"Blaziken, dry up the field with blast burn!" Dahlia yelled.

Blaziken sent an extremely hot flame attack out of its mouth, making the entire field hot and dry. It then used it on Surskit, who dodged with aqua jet. Luckily, Surskit was able to defeat it with aqua jet. Dahlia returned Blaziken and Max returned Surskit. Max sent out Murkrow.

"This has been a great battle. Too bad that it will end soon. Prepare to meet the _real_ star of the show!" Dahlia yelled.

A large Bug-type was sent out. It was beautiful yet terrifying all at once. It just calmly sat there. Max had no idea what it was, so he took out his Pokédex.

"Volcarona, the Sun Pokémon, and the evolved form of Larvesta. A sea of fire engulfs the surroundings of their battles, since they use their six wings to scatter their ember scales."

"When I was a young girl, I saw a travelling circus from Unova. The star was a Volcarona. After becoming a trainer, I went to Unova to find my very own Volcarona. It took me over a year, but I found this one. Now she is the star of my own show!" Dahlia said.

Volcarona flew up into the air at a dazzling speed and used silver wind. Murkrow dodged and used peck. Volcarona used harden to minimalize damage. Murkrow used wing attack. Volcarona used heat wave. Murkrow fell on the ground.

"Now, Volcarona, used fiery dance!" she yelled.

Volcarona started spinning while releasing flames. The attack defeated Murkrow. Max sent out Surskit. Volcarona used leech life and then overheat. Surskit was hurt badly. Surskit used water sport. Volcarona used fiery dance. Surskit started spinning while using water sport, protecting itself from the fiery dance attack. Surskit used bubble on Volcarona. Finally, Surskit finished Volcarona off with an aqua jet attack.

"The match goes Max!" the ref called.

Music started playing loudly. Dahlia handed Max the Arcade Print. It was basically a long piece of paper with a picture of Dahlia and her Pokémon on it. Max lifted it up in the air.

"I got the Arcade Print and its mine, all mine!" Max yelled.


	24. Johto Battle Frontier: Chapter 3

**Johto Battle Frontier: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 3: Claydol and the Runaway**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max waited two days to battle his next Frontier Brain. He decided on Darach of the Battle Castle. The Battle Castle was located in the depths of the Island Wilderness area. Max and Grace walked through the forest, looking intently for the castle. They eventually saw it, but they had to climb down a cliff to get to it. They started down, but suddenly, the cliff busted open and a large Claydol came out. Grace and Max fell through the trees and hit the ground hard. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Claydol, the Clay Doll Pokémon, and the evolved form of Baltoy. Claydol is an enigma that appeared from a clay statue made by an ancient civilization dating back 20,000 years. This Pokémon shoots beams from both its hands."

Claydol looked at them angrily. Grace nearly screamed. Max looked and saw a nearby lake. He took out his Surskit's Net Ball.

"I choose you, Surskit! Use hydro pump on that Claydol!" Max yelled.

"Seaking, help! Use water gun! Then, Dustox, use confusion!" Grace said, sending out two Pokéballs.

The Water-type attacks hit Claydol hard and sent it into the cliff. Dustox then used confusion. Claydol got angrier and used solar beam at Grace and Max. They narrowly escaped. Surskit used bubble and Seaking used whirlpool. Claydol fell weakly into the cliff.

"I'm gonna catch it!" Max said.

"Go right ahead… I think it's creepy." Grace muttered.

Max threw a Pokéball and captured it! Before Max could even grab the ball, it teleported away. Max and Grace proceeded on to the castle.

"I can't believe I caught that Claydol! I can't wait to get it back from Oak!" Max said.

"Why would you want to? It was aggressive and kind of insane…" Grace said.

"Well, it was really powerful!" Max exclaimed.

They proceeded into the castle and went to the front desk. Max gave the woman at the front desk his park pass.

"You will have to beat five trainers in a row in one-on-one battles. Afterwards, you will have to battle in a triple-battle against our knights. After that, you will be given access to Castle Valet Darach! But be warned, it is harder than it seems!" the woman said. She escorted Max and Grace into one of many battle rooms.

His first battle was against a guy named Harry. Harry's Rhyhorn almost defeated Max's Gardevoir, but Gardevoir was able to pull through. Max's next three battles were hard, but he won them all. He was finally paired with a young girl named Leah. She was wearing a green uniform and had dark blue hair* and seemed really excited to battle.

"This is my fifth battle! When I beat you, I will go on to battle the knights!" Leah said.

"This is my fifth, too! Don't be so sure that you will win!" Max yelled.

Leah sent out a Prinplup while Max sent out Swalot. Grace pulled out her Pokédex at the Prinplup.

"Prinplup, the Penguin Pokémon, and the evolved form of Piplup. Its wings deliver wicked blows that snap even the thickest of trees. It searches for prey in icy seas."

Prinplup started out with a bubble attack. Swalot retaliated with poison gas. Prinplup used growl to blow the gas away. Swalot used solar beam, but Prinplup easily dodged and used brine. Swalot finished it with a gastro acid attack. Leah started crying. Max ran to her.

"What's the matter?" Max asked.

"I just… really need to beat the Battle Frontier or else…" Leah trailed off as she cried.

Grace grabbed her hand and took her as they proceeded into the room with the knights. Max realized he had never had a triple-battle before. The ref read the rules. The knights all looked tough.

"Go, Escavalier!" all three knights said at once. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Escavalier, the Cavalry Pokémon, and the evolved form of Karrablast. They fly around at high speed, striking with their pointed spears. Even when in trouble, they face opponents bravely."

The middle Escavalier was shiny. All three looked extremely powerful. Max was actually scared. He pulled out three Pokémon.

"I choose Swalot, Surskit, and Gligar!" Max yelled.

Surskit used bubble and Swalot used sludge. All the Escavalier dodged and used peck. They then all used fury cutter. Swalot defeated the shiny one with solar beam. After a couple of attacks, Surskit used solar beam to defeat the other one. Gligar defeated the third with dark pulse.

Max was escorted to the back room, where he met Castle Valet Darach. Leah and Grace sat on the sidelines. The ref said that it would be a three-on-three.

"First, I choose Mime jr.!" Darach yelled.

"A Mime jr.? Fine! I choose you, Sceptile!" Max yelled. He assumed the match would be over in minutes. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Mime jr., the Mime Pokémon. In an attempt to confuse its enemy, it mimics the enemy's movements. Then it wastes no time in making itself scarce!"

Sceptile looked down at the Baby Pokémon. He thought this battle would be easy as it could get. Sceptile ran towards Mime jr. with a giga impact attack, but suddenly stopped. Mime jr. was using tickle, making Sceptile laugh and fall on the ground. While Sceptile was recovering, Mime jr. used meditate.

"Now, Sceptile, use fury cutter!" Max yelled.

"Mime jr., use shadow ball right in its face!" Darach commanded.

The shadow ball attack made Sceptile's fury cutter fail. Sceptile fell over. When he tried to get back up, Mime jr. used tickle again and then meditate. Sceptile used leaf blade. Mime jr. used mimic and its small hands turned into large glowing leaf blades. Mime jr. dodged Sceptile's attacks and then hit it hard with its own leaf blade. Darach laughed.

"You should never underestimate your opponent based on size. You obviously did that here." Darach said. Max got angry because he knew it was true.

"Sceptile, use bullet seed!" Max said.

Mime jr. used barrier to protect itself, and then it used mimic. Sceptile fell on the ground hard. After getting up, he slipped and fell on the ground.

"Mime jr., make Sceptile keep on falling! Use encore!" Darach said.

Sceptile kept on falling over and over. Finally it stopped. Sceptile looked at Mime jr. with anger in his eyes. Darach wanted to text Max even more.

"Okay, Mime jr., use role play!" Darach yelled.

Suddenly, Sceptile's overgrow ability kicked in. Max got excited, but then noticed that Mime jr.'s soundproof ability kicked in. The green aura that was around Sceptile came off and went to Mime jr. while Mime jr.'s pink aura went to Sceptile.

"Now Mime jr.'s ability is overgrow and Sceptile's is soundproof! Mime jr., use grass knot!" Darach laughed.

Mime jr.'s overgrow activated and it slammed its fist on the ground. Two giant stalks shot out of the ground and sent Sceptile flying into the air.

"Sceptile is unable to battle! This match goes to Mime jr. and Darach!" the ref said. Max deliberated his next Pokémon.

"Go, Gligar!" Max yelled.

Gligar flew high into the air and used poison sting. Mime jr.'s barrier protected it and then it used shadow ball. Gligar used harden to protect itself and then used steel wing. Gligar finished it with poison sting.

"Good job, Max! You should know that Mime jr. was just the beginning! Go, Scraggy, I choose you!" Darach yelled. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Scraggy, the Shedding Pokémon. Proud of its sturdy skull, it suddenly headbutts everything, but its weight makes it unstable, too."

"Remember what I said last round. Size doesn't matter!" Darach said.

Gligar flew at Scraggy. Just when Gligar was going to use fire fang, Scraggy used leer to make it back off. Scraggy used headbutt, sending Gligar flying. Scraggy ran to Gligar with amazing speed and used another headbutt and then brick break.

"Gligar, get high up into the air so that Scraggy can't land another hit. Then use poison sting!" Max said.

Gligar flew way up high. Darach chuckled.

"Max, you are correct that Scraggy only knows close-range moves. Scraggy couldn't possibly make it all the way up there!" Darach said. Max smiled.

Gligar used poison sting. Scraggy used headbutt to break the poison sting attacks. Suddenly, Scraggy stomped in the ground. A large bridge of rocks went up to Gligar. Darach smiled.

"Scraggy, rock climb and then use head smash!" Darach yelled. Gligar tried to get away, but its tail was caught in the rocks. Scraggy hit it hard, knocking it out instantaneously. Max deliberated his next choice.

"I choose you, Gardevoir!" Max yelled.

Scraggy used leer, making Gardevoir step back. Gardevoir used growl to distract Scraggy and then used misty terrain to make it hard for Scraggy to see. Gardevoir teleported behind Scraggy. When Scraggy turned around to use headbutt, Gardevoir used safeguard and then knocked it out with dazzling gleam.

"What a coincidence that you have a Gardevoir. Go, Gallade, I choose you!" Darach said. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Gallade, the Blade Pokémon, and the evolved form of Kirlia. A master of courtesy and swordsmanship, it fights using extending swords on its elbows."

The misty terrain faded. Gallade started with leaf blade, but Gardevoir teleported out of its way and used icy wind. Gallade used several shadow ball attacks, but Gardevoir easily teleported out of the way. Gardevoir used fire punch in Gallade's face, and Gallade used night slash. Gardevoir was hurt badly, and teleported across the field. Gallade teleported to it and used psychic. Gardevoir used psychic back. The two kept teleporting away and to each other. Gallade used fury cutter, and Gardevoir teleported. Gardevoir finished it with confusion.

"Congratulations! For proof of your victory here at the Battle Castle, you have won a Castle Print!" Darach said.

"Yes! I won a Castle Print and its mine, all mine!" Max yelled.

Max, Leah, and Grace soon went to the Downtown Frontier and ate at a small café. Max and Grace asked why Leah 'needs' to beat the Battle Frontier.

"Well, when you win the Battle Frontier you get a free apartment here in one of the Downtown Buildings and you get the Frontier Cup. The Frontier Cup can be sold for a lot. I need money, and I have basically just been gambling at the Battle Arcade to get it." Leah explained.

"What? You are, like, eight! Why do you need money?" Grace asked.

"Well, I have wanted to be a trainer for years. My parents are really rich, you see, so they bought me a Piplup, a Drowzee, and a Sentret. At this point, Piplup and Sentret both evolved. When I asked if I could go on my own journey, they said no. So I took some of their money and rode away to Johto. I am from Hearthome City in Sinnoh, so this is pretty far away." Leah said.

"You can travel with us for a while!" Max told her.

"Really? Wow, thanks!" Leah exclaimed.

After a while of travelling downtown, a man and a woman* came out from one of the alleys. They both had similar uniforms and olive green hair. Leah got scared when she saw them. She grabbed Max and Grace and pulled them into a nearby store.

"Those are Elan and Kae. My parents hired them to take me back to Hearthome City! I can't go back! I want to be a trainer with you guys!" Leah cried.

"We will make sure they don't get you." Max said. Grace thought it might be a good idea to let them take Leah home, because she was so young, but she didn't vocalize her opinion.

They walked out of the shop. Elan and Kae saw them.

"Your coming with us, you little brat!" Kae yelled as she threw out her Pokéball.

"We will definitely get you this time!" Elan said.

Kae sent out an Electabuzz and Elan sent out a Porygon2. The large amount of people moved out of the way of the Pokémon.

"Battle! Battle! Battle!" the crowd yelled. Grace and Max drew their Pokéballs.

"You can't take this girl against her will! Wynaut, lets go!" Grace yelled.

"Murkrow, I choose you!" Max said. Grace wanted to learn more about their Pokémon, so she pulled out her Pokédex.

"Electabuzz, the Electric Pokémon, and the evolved form of Elekid. When a storm approaches, it competes with others to scale heights that are likely to be stricken by lightning. Some towns use Electabuzz in place of lightning rods."

"Porygon2, the Virtual Pokémon, and the evolved form of Porygon. Porygon2 was created by humans using the power of science. The man-made Pokémon has been endowed with artificial intelligence that enables it to learn new gestures and emotions on its own."

Murkrow started with dark pulse, but Porygon2 dodged and used thunderbolt to defeat it. Electabuzz used thunder on Wynaut. Wynaut used mirror coat to send it back, but Electabuzz simply absorbed the electricity and then defeated Wynaut with fire punch.

"Drowzee! I need you to help out! Use confusion!" Leah yelled.

Her Drowzee sent Porygon2, Kae, Electabuzz, and Elan flying. The crowd cheered. Leah sighed in relief. The group took the tram back to the Swanna. Leah fell asleep on their sofa-bed. Grace turned to Max.

"Don't you think that Leah is a bit young to be on her own?" Grace asked.

"Well… yeah. I do think she would be better off with her parents, but I don't like those bounty hunters that are after her. I think we would be better off taking her home. We are going to Sinnoh anyway!" Max responded.

"We can't tell her we will be bringing her home, though. She will get mad." Grace added. Max agreed.

With a new goal for when they get to Sinnoh, Max and Grace went to bed. Max dreamed of defeating the Frontier.

*Leah is based on a Picnicker from Diamond and Pearl.

*Elan and Kae are based on Double Team from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.


	25. Johto Battle Frontier: Chapter 4

**Johto Battle Frontier: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 4: Factory Print Fever**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max was extremely worried. Gardevoir had a strong fever and wasn't responding to any medicine Nurse Joy was giving. Max, Leah, and Grace waited anxiously outside the operating room of the Swanna's Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy and her Chansey soon came out of the room.

"Your Gardevoir is suffering from a severe viral infection. She is fine for now, but she will not be fully cured for months. You cannot use her in any battles until she has a full recovery. First, she will need to undergo treatment at a Pokémon Center for a few days. Then, she will be allowed to leave, but she will still need lots of rest, plus she will have to have weekly visits to a Pokémon Center. I understand you are busy on your journey, and moving around will not be good for Gardevoir. Is there any place your Gardevoir could stay while she is recovering?" Nurse Joy explained.

Max called his parents and told them the situation. They agreed to keep Gardevoir for a while.

"Nurse Joy, please send Gardevoir to the Pokémon Center in Petalburg City. First, though, can we talk to her?" Max asked. Nurse Joy nodded.

Max and Grace hugged her and said their goodbyes. Max started tearing up. Nurse Joy returned Gardevoir and transferred it over to Petalburg City. Max realized this gave him an extra space in his party, so he called Prof. Oak.

"So the Pokémon you have with me are Skiploom, Forretress, Magcargo, Tentacruel, Croconaw, Stantler, and Claydol. Which would you like?" Oak said.

"I want Claydol!" Max said. He was excited to finally get the chance to use his new Claydol. Claydol was quickly transferred over.

Max waited a day before going to the Battle Factory, his next Battle Area. After locating it deep within the Island Wilderness, Max, Grace, and Leah went inside and sat down in the lobby. After checking in with his park pass, Max asked how he could battle Factory Head Thornton.

"There are dozens of machines inside the factory. You will have to complete a hundred-question Pokémon quiz. If you complete it with no wrong answers, a factory worker will take you to the battlefield. When you go into the factory, please place all of your Pokéballs on the conveyer belt and pick up six random ones. Put these stickers on your Pokéballs before placing them on the conveyer belt." The woman said. Max felt confident about the quiz, as that was what he was good at, but he didn't understand why he needed to use different Pokémon.

"Why do I have to put my Pokéballs on the belt?" Max asked.

"Well, the point of this Battle Area is to see how well you do with rented Pokémon. The stickers are so the Pokéballs can be returned back to you at the end of the day. They have your trainer card ID on them. You will be using other trainers' Pokémon, and they will be using yours." The woman explained.

They walked into the factory, where all sorts of Pokémon-related items were being made. There were dozens of trainers on the quiz machines. Max placed the stickers on each of his Pokéballs. He was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to use Claydol. He randomly picked up four Pokéballs, one Great Ball, and one Ultra Ball.

The quiz was a breeze for him. The questions were very easy. They asked things like "What is the evolved form of Nidorina?" and "Can Skitty learn the move hydro cannon?". Max finished it in less than ten minutes. A factory worker came to his machine and took him to the battle room. There, he met Thornton.

"I see you beat that little quiz. Lots of trainers do. That doesn't mean you will beat me. The Pokémon you have all belong to other trainers. You will have trouble using them." Thornton chuckled. Max knew he was right. The ref read the rules: it was to be a full six-on-six. "I choose you, Elekid!" Thornton yelled.

"Go!" Max said, throwing out the Ultra Ball. He wasn't sure what it was going to come out. He was surprised to see a Venusaur. The Venusaur was extremely confused. He pulled out his Pokédex to see the moves it knew.

"Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ivysaur. After a rainy day, the flower on its back smells stronger. The scent attracts other Pokémon."

Elekid started with a strong fire punch. Venusaur was badly hurt.

"Use vine whip, Venusaur!" Max yelled. Venusaur ignored Max and used leaf storm. Elekid used mega kick and then feint.

Max commanded a petal dance attack, but Venusaur used growl. Elekid was about to use fire punch again, but Venusaur dodged without being told to. Elekid used quick attack and then discharge. Venusaur used bind to keep Elekid in place and then used hyperbeam to knock it out.

"Ledian, come on out!" Thornton commanded.

Ledian used supersonic and then Mach punch to knock Venusaur out. Max pulled out one of the Pokéballs.

"Go!" Max yelled. A Zangoose came out. Max looked up what moves it could use on the Pokédex.

"Zangoose, the Cat Ferret Pokémon. Zangoose usually stays on all fours, but when angered, it gets up on its hind legs and extends its claws. This Pokémon shares a bitter rivalry with Seviper that dates back over generations."

Zangoose used leer on Ledian and then used fury cutter. Ledian tried to use mach punch, but Zangoose used detect to evade the attacks. Ledian's silver wind was very effective on Zangoose. Zangoose used fury cutter, which Ledian absorbed with bide. Ledian released the bide attack and hurt Zangoose. Zangoose used fury cutter and Ledian used mach punch. The attacks collided and exploded, leaving them both unable to battle. Max drew another Pokéball.

"I choose Nidorino!" Thornton yelled.

"Go!" Max said. A Feebas came out and started splashing on the ground. Max pulled out his Pokédex to see the moves it knew.

"Feebas, the Fish Pokémon. Ridiculed for its shabby appearance, it is ignored by researchers. It lives in ponds choked with weeds."

Feebas only knew splash! Max became worried. Nidorino hurt Feebas with many peck, leer, and poison sting attacks. After using focus energy, Nidorino unleashed a powerful thunder. Max could hardly watch as Feebas was shocked, but it suddenly evolved! Max pulled out his Pokédex to see what moves this Milotic had learned.

"Milotic, the Tender Pokémon, and the evolved form of Feebas. Milotic is said to be the most beautiful of all the Pokémon. It has the power to becalm such emotions as anger and hostility to quell bitter feuding."

"Milotic, use dragon pulse!" Max commanded.

Nidorino was hit hard and then used takedown. Milotic used aqua tail to defeat it. Next, Thornton sent out a Gyarados.

Gyarados's thunder wave, fire blast, and blizzard attacks were all sent back to it with Milotic's mirror coat attacks. Milotic easily defeated Thornton's next Pokémon: Baltoy and Magnemite. Max hugged the Milotic, but soon remembered it wasn't his. He sadly returned it to the front desk and got his Pokémon back. He also received the Factory Print!

"That was an awesome Milotic, Max! The person who owned the Feebas will be so happy that you got it to evolve!" Leah cheered.

"Yeah… I kind of wish I could have kept it. We seemed to have a connection…" Max said. Suddenly, Grace and Max saw an extremely familiar face: Cierra.

"Losers? What are you doing here? Doesn't matter. Guess what: my Feebas that I caught evolved while somebody was using it in the Battle Factory. Max, I also thought I got your Sceptile, because it looked a lot like yours." Cierra said. Max and Grace explained what happened and introduced Leah. Cierra revealed that she already had all four Prints and was going to the Battle Tower for her final Print.

"Well, Cierra, I have three Prints: Arcade, Castle, and Factory!" Max said.

"Oh, so you still need to go to the Battle Hall. Hall Matron Argenta runs the Battle Hall. Every day there is an unofficial contest, because the Battle Hall is a Contest Hall. The winner of that contest is permitted to have a battle against Argenta. Max, you have zero contest experience, so I would give up on that!" Cierra said.

"I can coach him! I have lots of experience." Grace said proudly.

"Yeah, whatever. After this I'm off to Sinnoh. Dawn told me that you guys are, too. Can't wait to get my revenge over there!" Cierra laughed. She sent out Casty, gave him a big hug, and walked away.

Max knew that with Grace's experience, he couldn't lose!


	26. Johto Battle Frontier: Chapter 5

**Johto Battle Frontier: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 5: Max's Contest Debut**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Grace was thinking about which Pokémon Max should use in the contest. He had decided that he would take a few days to train before going to the Battle Hall. Grace remembered that he had her old Murkrow.

"Well, Max, I won my first contest with Murkrow. It didn't like to compete, but it was good at it. You should use Murkrow as your Pokémon." Grace said. Max agreed.

"Well, what should I do? I don't know the first thing about contest moves!" Max exclaimed. Grace pulled out her Pokéball.

"Watch and learn. This is what you will do with Murkrow in the appeals. Send Murkrow out to watch." Grace said. Max sent Murkrow out. Murkrow sat on his head. "Dustox, the curtain's up!"

Dustox came out and used electroweb. She made two rings of electroweb and then used confusion to control them. It looked almost like an atom: Dustox was the core and the moving rings around her were the electrons. Max was amazed.

"Wait! Murkrow doesn't know either electroweb or confusion." Max pointed out. Grace glared at him.

"I know that. Murkrow _does_ know dark pulse and psychic. It can do the exact same thing with those moves." Grace shot back.

Max tried it this time. Murkrow flew up and used dark pulse. It used psychic on the dark pulse attack to make two rings, and then put the two rings around itself.

"Something else I learned was that this move could be used as a defensive measure also! Dawn is actually the one who showed it to me. She called it the 'counter shield' and there are dozens of different was of using it." Grace explained.

The next day, Max and Grace practiced again. Soon, Max was ready for the unofficial Battle Hall Contest! He and Grace went to the Battle Hall. Max registered with his park pass and then went to the coordinators' room. Grace went into the audience, but then ran to the coordinators' room to give Max something. Max could tell that most of the people here weren't actual coordinators, and were just here to get their Hall Print. Grace ran to his side.

"I just remembered! We are in Johto, so they are going to expect you to use Seals and Ball Capsules. In Hoenn and Kanto they don't allow them, but here they are strongly encouraged. Here is one of my old ones. It makes a green mist come out." Grace explained. Max put the capsule and Seal on Murkrow's ball, but was still unsure of what it did.

After a while of mediocre appeals, Max was called onstage. He was extremely nervous, but got his Pokéball ready.

"Murkrow, take the stage!" Max yelled, imitating his sister. Green mist shot from the Pokéball and Murkrow came out of the mist. As soon as the mist dissipated, Max started. "Murkrow, dark pulse and then psychic!"

Murkrow made his dark pulse counter shield. The judges were one of the Battle Frontier's Nurse Joys, the lady from the front desk, and Argenta herself. Max got a 29.1, the highest score of the day. He waited and soon found out that he made it to the battle round along with three others!

First, Max was against a guy named Farris. He looked tough and won the appeals with ease using his Exeggutor. Max drew Murkrow's Pokéball.

"Arcanine, you're up!" Farris yelled.

"Murkrow, on stage!" Max said.

The Arcanine was much larger than Murkrow. Max became worried. Arcanine started with leer and then used a powerful flamethrower.

"Murkrow, counter shield it!" Max yelled. Murkrow created the protective rings of dark pulse around itself and the flamethrower was ineffective. Farris lost points.

Arcanine ran at Murkrow, but Murkrow sent the rings of dark pulse at it. Murkrow then used wing attack and then shadow ball. Arcanine was hurt badly.

After an intense battle, Max and Farris's points were near equal. The round ended and the judges declared Max the winner. He was against a girl named Cleo. He drew Murkrow's Pokéball.

"I choose you, Swablu!" she yelled.

"Take the stage, Murkrow!" Max said.

Murkrow used shadow ball and Swablu fell to the ground. Murkrow then easily finished Swablu with a psychic attack. He finished the match in less than thirty seconds! He was so happy that he could now battle Argenta. Argenta walked to the middle of the stage.

"Max, you have won this unofficial contest! You are awarded the Battle Hall Ribbon!" Argenta yelled. It was a small purple ribbon that was already pre-packaged in a small display case. "But now, we are going to have a double contest battle. If you win, you will receive the Hall Print. While we battle, remember that I am a Top Coordinator and I will be using the very same Pokémon that helped me win the Johto Grand Festival all those years ago. Let's begin!"

Max started getting nervous. Grace ran over to him and gave him two new Seals: a purple heart one and a multicolored stars one. Max wasn't about to use Murkrow again. Murkrow was tired from all of those other battles. He put the stars Seal on Sceptile's Pokéball and the hearts on Claydol's.

"Xatu, Arbok, win this for me!" Argenta yelled. The two Pokéballs has purple mist Seals. Xatu and Arbok flew from the mist. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Xatu, the Mystic Pokémon, and the evolved form of Natu. Xatu is known to stand motionless while staring at the sun all day long. Some people revere it as a mystical Pokémon out of their belief that Xatu is in possession of the power to see into the future."

"Arbok, the Cobra Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ekans. This Pokémon has a terrifically strong constricting power. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once it wraps its body around its foe, escaping is impossible."

"Claydol, Sceptile, on stage!" Max yelled.

Arbok's intimidate ability and Xatu's leer made the nervous. Arbok flew at Sceptile and used ice fang. Xatu used air slash on Claydol. Claydol froze both of them with an ice beam. Sceptile used frenzy plant, accidently freeing them. Xatu and Arbok did a night shade-poison sting combo, but Claydol used protect to defend itself. Sceptile used dragon breath on Arbok countered with acid. Arbok then used stockpile. While it was stockpiling, Claydol used solar beam, but Arbok used protect. Arbok used spit up, hurting Sceptile bad. Claydol and Sceptile used a powerful combination of extrasensory and bullet seed.

Arbok fainted and Xatu used quick attack. Claydol froze Xatu with a ice beam attack. The timer suddenly stopped.

"Max wins this battle!" the loud speaker rang. Argenta returned Xatu and walked up to him.

"Here is the Hall Print. You've earned it. How many Prints do you have now?" she asked.

"I have four." Max responded.

"That means you can go to the Battle Tower! I will get my assistant to upgrade your park pass to a Tower Access park pass." Argenta said.

Max went to the front desk and handed in his park pass. The woman put it in a machine and a new one popped out. This new one looked almost like a red credit card. The woman also gave Leah and Grace two Tower Observer passes.

The next day, Max walked up to the Battle Tower. He inserted his park pass into the card key lock of the door. He slowly opened the door of Battle Tower. Now he just had to go beat Palmer.


	27. Johto Battle Frontier: Chapter 6

**Johto Battle Frontier: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 6: Taking on the Tower Tycoon!**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max walked to the front desk.

"How do I qualify to battle Palmer?" Max asked.

"Well, it is actually pretty simple. This tower is over seventy-five stories high. You just have to climb all of the stairs to get up there. There will be some times where you will need to use your Pokémon to get past certain obstacles. Your friends will actually be allowed to get up there by elevator." The woman said.

Grace and Leah went on the elevator. Max went out of the lobby and started up the spiraling stairs. After walking almost five stories, he felt incredibly tired. He looked up and realized that the stairs were seemingly endless. He pulled out a Pokéball.

"Claydol, please take me to the top of the stairs." Max said.

He jumped on Claydol's head and the large Pokémon started levitating up. They passed several stories, but suddenly Max got hit with a thunder shock attack. He looked down and saw dozens of Magneton flying up at them. One Magneton used tri attack, severely damaging Claydol. They got closer, and Max realized what he had to do.

"Claydol, use sandstorm!" he yelled. Claydol sent a giant sandstorm out of its arms. The Magneton couldn't see and were all spinning around in the sandy vortex.

Max and Claydol continued up. Suddenly, giant pipes shot out of the wall and the whole stairway started filling with water. Max jumped off of Claydol and onto the stairs. He had only ten more stories to go. He returned Claydol and started running, but the water was filling up faster than he could run. Max sent out Murkrow.

"Murkrow, use your psychic to lift my up to the top level!" Max screamed.

He and Murkrow flew up to the top level. There was a giant door. After returning Murkrow, Max opened the door. He walked to an outdoor battlefield, overlooking the entire island. They were so high up that Max was almost scared. Grace and Leah were watching from a bench. Palmer was on the other side.

"Hello, Max. You have made it this far… impressive! I am the Tower Tycoon Palmer. I used to work at the Battle Tower in Sinnoh, but I left to come to Johto. I have watched recordings of your battles. You are very impressive, but I don't know if you are impressive enough to beat me. Lets start!"

"This will be a full six-on-six between Tower Tycoon Palmer and challenger Max of Petalburg City. Both sides will be permitted to switch Pokémon. Begin!" the ref called. Max pulled out his first Pokéball.

"Lets start this battle with a bit of aerial mobility. Togekiss, you're up!" Palmer yelled. His Togekiss flew up high into the air and then off the side of the building. After doing a full circle around the tower, Togekiss landed right in front of Palmer. Max got nervous.

"Murkrow, lets go!" Max said. Grace was surprised. Murkrow was nowhere near as graceful as Togekiss and it had a type disadvantage. Leah thought that he would have gone with Gligar.

Togekiss started by flying way up and then coming down while using sky attack. As Togekiss was about to hit Murkrow, Murkrow used dark pulse. After a large explosion, Togekiss used extremespeed and Murkrow was hit hard. Togekiss finished it with aura sphere.

"Murkrow is unable to battle! This match goes to Togekiss." The ref called. Max though and then pulled out his next Pokémon.

"I choose Surskit!" he yelled. Grace was shocked yet again. Did he not understand that there was a major type disadvantage?

Surskit used water sport to make the stage wet. Surskit started sliding around, dodging all of Togekiss's air slash attacks. Surskit used bubble, which badly hurt Togekiss. Palmer saw the power in that attack.

"Mirror move now!" he said. Togekiss used bubble right back at Surskit. Surskit used aqua jet.

Togekiss was hurt badly by the aqua jet. Togekiss used ancient power, but the attack missed. After Surskit dodged several aura sphere attacks, it finished Togekiss off with hydro pump. Palmer clapped.

"I was a bit surprised when you sent out that Surskit, but now I remember its amazing win against Dahlia's Volcarona. I will choose my next Pokémon very carefully… okay, Lapras, come on out."

Lapras started sliding around on the already-wet stage. Lapras started charging at Surskit.

"Surskit, use aqua jet!" Max commanded.

"Lapras, use brine!" Palmer said.

The two Water-type attacks collided and made the battlefield even wetter. Surskit started sliding around to build speed. Surskit used bubble, but Lapras protected itself with safeguard. Max didn't understand what Palmer was trying to do! He was just making the battlefield more and more wet, giving Surskit more speed! Palmer commanded Lapras to use whirlpool. Lapras sent the whirlpool on the ground, and it exploded, making the stage very, very wet. Max loved this.

"Surskit, pick up your speed and try to confuse Lapras!" Max said.

"Lapras, use sheer cold." Palmer said. Lapras started glowing and then sent out an icy explosion from its whole body, defeating Surskit and freezing all of the water. Lapras started sliding around on the ice.

"Surskit is unable to battle, this round goes to Lapras." The ref said.

"You can do it, Max!" Leah yelled.

"I believe in you!" Grace said. Max thought about his options.

"Claydol, I choose you!" Max said.

Lapras used brine, which hurt Claydol badly. Claydol used solar beam, which melted all of the ice and gave Lapras lots of damage. Finally, Claydol finished it with rapid spin.

"Good job using your Claydol. It was honestly a great choice. Now, here is my next Pokémon. Milotic, I choose you!" Palmer yelled. Max returned Claydol and sent out Sceptile.

Milotic used hydro pump, and Sceptile skillfully dodged and used energy ball. Milotic was hit badly. Palmer knew that Max was wise by choosing Sceptile, but he didn't want to substitute out another Pokémon.

"Milotic, use haze." Palmer said.

Milotic sent out a thick, black haze attack that covered its side of the field. Sceptile couldn't see Milotic. Suddenly, a powerful ice beam came from the haze and froze Sceptile. Sceptile managed to free himself with dragon breath. Sceptile used bullet seed into the haze, but nothing seemed to happen. Suddenly, Milotic flew out of the haze, used tackle, and then went back in. Max had to think.

"Sceptile, return. Go, Claydol, use sandstorm!" Max said.

Claydol's sandstorm blew the haze away and hit Milotic hard. When the sandstorm blew away, Milotic suddenly disintegrated.

"Milotic used substitute, and you fell for it! Use tackle, Milotic." Palmer yelled.

Suddenly, Milotic flew down from the sky and hit Claydol hard. Claydol fainted. Max cringed.

"My Milotic has gone up against Sinnoh Champion Cynthia. I think it can handle a little Claydol." Palmer laughed.

"Gligar, come on out!" Max yelled. Gligar immediately latched onto Milotic's neck and used guillotine, making it faint.

"That was impressive… well, if you want to do flying types again, you got it! I choose Dragonite!" Palmer said.

Dragonite was extremely graceful as it flew around. Gligar flew after it. They were very, very high in the air. Max had never realized that Gligar was such a good flyer. Dragonite used dragon claw, which sent Gligar into the battlefield. Gligar attempted to stand back up, but Dragonite came down and used earthquake. Gligar was hurt badly. It tried to get back up, but Dragonite used hidden power.

"Gligar is unable to battle. This round goes to Dragonite." The ref said.

"Swalot, lets win this!" Max said.

Swalot used sludge, but Dragonite dodged by going high into the sky. Swalot used solar beam, which hit Dragonite hard. Dragonite came down and used stone edge. Swalot attempted to use gastro acid, but Dragonite defeated it with bubblebeam before Swalot could even attempt the attack. Max thought. Murkrow, Surskit, Claydol, Gligar and Swalot were all defeated. He only had Sceptile.

Sceptile came out and used dragon claw, followed by dragon breath, defeating Dragonite. Palmer was impressed, but he still had two Pokémon.

"Onix, come out!" Palmer said.

Sceptile used bullet seed, but Onix protected itself using harden. Grovyle used leaf blade and then leaf storm. Onix used tackle. Sceptile and Onix both used dragon breath. The two attacks collided into a giant explosion. Onix used slam, and Sceptile used giga impact. Onix used screech. Sceptile finished Onix off with energy ball. Palmer chuckled.

"My Onix was just an appetizer for the main course. Actually, all of my Pokémon were. My main Pokémon has brought many, many challengers to a halt. Come on out, Rhyperior!" Palmer said. Max pulled out his Pokédex at the giant Pokémon.

"Rhyperior, the Drill Pokémon, and the evolved form of Rhydon. It puts rocks in its palms and uses its muscles to shoot them. Geodude are shot at rare times."

Rhyperior used rock polish to raise its power. Rhyperior used sandstorm, and Sceptile used leaf storm. The two attacks collided and made a powerful explosion. Rhyperior jumped through the explosion and used rock wrecker. Sceptile dodged and used energy ball. The attack hit hard, but Rhyperior used rock wrecker again. The attack hit extremely hard.

Sceptile used leaf storm, damaging Rhyperior badly. Rhyperior ran at Sceptile while using megahorn, and Sceptile collided while using dragon claw. The two attacks made an explosion. Sceptile was badly hurt, but Rhyperior was fine. Rhyperior used fury attack and hit Sceptile ten times with its horn. Sceptile stood up and then used dragon breath. The attack left Rhyperior paralyzed.

"Rhyperior, use rock wrecker!" Palmer said. Rhyperior was paralyzed, so it couldn't use the attack.

"Sceptile, lets finish this! Frenzy plant!" Max yelled.

Giant roots flew from the ground and defeated Rhyperior. Palmer was extremely surprised. He returned Rhyperior.

"We did it, Sceptile! We did it! We beat the Battle Frontier!" Max said as he hugged his started Pokémon. Palmer walked up to him.

"Max, you have defeated every Frontier Brain, including me. You have won the Tower Print to add to your Portfolio. You also win a free apartment here in the Downtown Frontier, lots of money, and the winner's trophy!" Palmer said.

"Yes! I can't believe this!" Max yelled.

After receiving the Tower Print, Max went down to the Frontier Hall of Fame. He passed only several portraits of different victors. He saw Brendan's picture with his Swampert, Espeon, Shiftry, Aggron, Golem, and Roserade. They found an empty area next to Cierra's victor portrait. Cierra's portrait was with her Bulbasaur, Butterfree, Venomoth, Infernape, Castform, and Milotic.

Max's portrait was with Sceptile, Gligar, Swalot, Murkrow, Surskit, and Claydol. Max's trophy was huge.

Max had trouble carrying the trophy to the port. He and Grace boarded the ferry to Olivine, and Leah decided to stay in Max's apartment. Max could hardly believe he had won the Battle Frontier!


	28. Johto Battle Frontier: Chapter 7

**Johto Battle Frontier: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 7: Goodbyes to the Old, Hello to the New**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max and Grace arrived in Cherrygrove City. They walked into Grace's house.

"I can't wait to head to Sinnoh!" Grace exclaimed as she walked inside.

"Hey Grace, I caught a Rattata!" her brother Joey exclaimed.

Her entire family was there, including her great-grandparents. She walked to her great-grandmother.

"Granny, why are you here?" she asked.

"Well, your great-grandfather wants to speak to you." Her granny said. She turned to her grandfather while Max sat down and talked to her parents about the Battle Frontier.

"Grace, you have become a great caretaker of Pokémon. I want you to work at the Day Care instead of pursuing this silly coordinator stuff." Her great-grandfather said.

"What? I am about to go to Sinnoh! I can't!" Grace yelled.

"Now, Grace, don't disrespect me! You will start working with us immediately, okay? You will not go to Sinnoh." Her grandfather snapped. Grace started tearing up.

"Sir, if I may interrupt, I think Grace is an amazing coordinator! You shouldn't pin her down like this." Max said.

"I think its best if you go!" her grandfather yelled at him. Max picked up his stuff and walked out.

Grace's entire family felt bad for both Grace and Max. They all approved of her becoming a coordinator, but nobody ever questioned her great-grandfather.

Max made it to New Bark Town, and suddenly Grace ran over to him.

"I am leaving to Eggseter tomorrow. I just wanted to say goodbye." Grace said. She obviously had been crying.

They talked and went over to Elm's lab.

"Grace, you have a Meganium, right? And Max, you have a Sceptile?" Elm asked.

"Yes. Why?" Grace asked.

"I am doing a research project on fully evolved Grass-types. Could I possibly use your Pokémon in the project?"

Max and Grace looked at each other. They agreed. Max became extremely upset. They both said goodbye to their starters and walked away. Max started crying. Grace gave him a hug.

"Max, I know it's hard. We have been travelling together for so long. And our starter Pokémon… well I guess that is temporary. The research can't take forever." Grace said.

"But your grandfather won't change his mind." Max said. Grace nodded. Soon, the ferry to Littleroot Town came.

"Goodbye." Max said sadly.

"Goodbye." Grace said.

Max arrived in Hoenn two days later. He went to Petalburg City with the giant trophy in his hands. After walking up to his room and meeting with Gardevoir, he put the trophy next to his Hoenn badge display and hung the Portfolio on the wall next to his Petalburg Tournament plaque and the Ever Grande Conference placement. After walking out of the room, he passed May's room and saw May and Dawn in there with another girl.

"Hi guys. May, how did you do in the Grand Festival?" Max asked, still sad.

"I only made the top-8. Where's Grace?" May asked. Max explained what happened. Dawn and May were sad to hear that. "I got her special Seals from Unova… I guess I will just save them."

"This is May's friend from Unova, Jayla. She is coming to Unova to do contests." Dawn said. Max introduced himself.

The group all went to Littleroot Town. They went to Birch's lab.

"So, I am getting all of my Unova Pokémon sent here. I only have six right now… Birch will be receiving more. Want to see?" Jayla asked

"Yeah!" Dawn said. Max was very interested to see what she had.

Jayla sent out a Pignite, a male Frillish, a summer form Deerling, a Vanillite, a Solosis, and an Accelgor. Soon her other Pokémon arrived: Ferrothorn, Pansear, and Cottonee. The Unova Pokémon amazed Max. Dawn revealed that she currently only had Piplup with her.

"Jayla, I was working here while waiting for May, so all of my Pokémon are here right now. Want to meet them?" Dawn asked. Jayla agreed.

Dawn's Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Quilava, and Togekiss all came out of the forest after Dawn blew a whistle. Max walked inside the lab and sent out Gligar, Swalot, Surskit, and Claydol.

"Guys, I have decided that I'm only going to take Murkrow to Sinnoh, in honor of Grace. So you all are going to be sent to Kanto to live at Oak's." Max told them. He said his goodbyes to each of them, but Gligar grabbed onto his neck and wouldn't let go!

Swalot, Surskit, and Claydol were sent away, but Gligar would not go! Finally, Max agreed to take Gligar with him. May ran into the lab.

"Max! The ferry to Sandgem is coming in five minutes! Come on." May yelled.

Max ran to the ferry and boarded it. He was excited for the coming challenges, but he wasn't excited that he would be overcoming them alone.

After arriving in Sandgem Town a couple of days later, Jayla and May both left, but Dawn decided to go to Twinleaf Town to visit her mother. Max wanted to go with her. After a while, they eventually made it to the house and Max met Johanna and her Glameow. Max remembered Dylan's Glameow. Max was going to stay in Twinleaf for a while, and then start his journey later on.

Grace made it to Eggseter the day after Max left. She was extremely upset that she was there. She spent the day cleaning up after the Pokémon. She had thought about running away to go to Sinnoh. One night, she was staring out her window when her granny walked over to her.

"You are young. Go! Go to Sinnoh. I can deal with your grandfather!" her granny said. Grace smiled and hugged her.

"Thank you so much!" she said as she cried.

Grace decided to take Dustox, Seaking, Wynaut, Snorunt, and Chingling with her. She ran out of the house in the middle of the night and dashed away. She pinned her Cascade Badge back on her chest after she changed back into her travelling clothes at a local restaurant's bathroom. Grace reached Ecruteak late the next day and took a shuttle to Goldenrod City. Grace got on the bullet train to Vermilion City and finally got a ferry to Sandgem Town. She was so excited to see everyone she knew!


	29. Sinnoh: Chapter 1

**Platinum: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 1: Gliscor the Magnificent**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max walked out of Johanna and Dawn's house. Dawn was going to start doing contests in a few days, but Max decided to start his adventure, starting by going to Prof. Rowan's lab. After a few hours of walking and watching the local Pokémon, Max arrived at the lab.

"Hello Prof. Rowan. I came here to get the Sinnoh version of the National Pokédex." Max said.

"Well, fine. Just come over here and I will add all of the Sinnoh features." He mumbled while looking into a microscope at a sample of Pokérus.

"What exactly are the Sinnoh features?" Max asked.

"You can tell what moves a Pokémon has before catching it. It can items related to Pokémon and tell you what they are. You can also find out where in the Sinnoh region a certain Pokémon is most common." Rowan responded as he updated the machine. He handed a blue watch to Max.

"What is this?" Max asked.

"Oh, here in Sinnoh we give them out. It is a Pokétch. It can tell you the time, tell you what Pokémon you have in your party, broadcast the radio, it has pedometer, and much more. It also has a GPS similar to the PokéNav of Hoenn." Rowan responded, handing Max Pokéballs. He told Max to register for the league at the Sandgem Pokémon Center.

Soon three kids, about Max's age, walked in. Max realized they were all there to receive their first Pokémon. Max decided to stay and watch.

"Hello, children. What are your names?" Rowan said.

"I'm Griffith." One boy* said, snobbishly.

"I'm Key." A girl* said, obviously excited.

"I am Tony." The other boy* said, kindly.

Rowan let out Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar. He handed each of the kids a Pokédex, Pokétch, and Pokéballs. Griffith chose Chimchar, Key chose Piplup, and Tony chose Turtwig. After each of them left, Max started out, but Rowan stopped him.

"Do you have Pokémon on hand?" Rowan asked.

"Yes. I have a Gligar and a Murkrow." Max said.

"Here, give this to your Gligar to hold." Rowan said. Max went outside and pulled out his Pokédex at the strange item.

"Razor fang. A savagely sharp, piercing fang. It allows a certain kind of Pokémon to evolve."

Max threw out Gligar and handed it the item. Max realized it was getting dark, so he started towards the Pokémon Center. At the center, Max saw Griffith signing up for the Pokémon League. Max signed up also, and then went to talk to him.

"You got your first Pokémon, right? I remember my first." Max said. Griffith didn't respond. "What gym are you going to first?"

"Listen, if you want to battle me, just say so." Griffith snapped.

"I didn't ask for a battle, but sure, why not." Max responded. They walked outside of the Pokémon Center.

"Chimchar, come out and fight." Griffith yelled.

"I choose Gligar!" Max said.

Gligar started with a dark pulse, but Chimchar dodged. Chimchar used fury swipes, but Gligar used harden. Gligar used steel wing, nearly knocking Chimchar out. Chimchar used bite, and Gligar knocked it out using poison tail. Max returned Gligar. He assumed that was Griffith's only Pokémon.

"Starly, come out and fight." Griffith said. Max was surprised he had a second Pokémon.

"Murkrow, come on out!" Max said.

Murkrow started with nightshade, but Starly dodged and used takedown. Starly used growl, but Murkrow's psychic knocked it out. Griffith looked away.

"Obviously you have been a trainer longer." He said as he stumbled away.

Max went inside and sent out Gligar and Murkrow. Suddenly, the razor fang started glowing and Gligar evolved! Max pulled out the Pokédex to find out more about this evolution.

"Gliscor, the Fang Scorpion Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gligar. It dances silently through the sky. When it approaches prey, it can land a critical hit in an instant."

Max hugged his new Gliscor. After turning his Pokémon in to Nurse Joy, Max got a room and went to bed.

The next morning, while Max was still sound asleep, Grace reached Sandgem Town and went to Rowan's lab.

"Prof. Rowan, I think Prof. Elm contacted you. I am here for a Sinnoh Pokédex." Grace said.

"Yes, yes." Rowan said. He upgraded her Pokédex and gave her a red Pokétch.

"Before I go, have you met a boy named Max?" Grace asked.

"Yes! He was just going to the Pokémon Center to register for the Pokémon League. I assume that he spent the night there." Rowan replied. She thanked Rowan and ran to the Pokémon Center.

Grace registered for Sinnoh Contests and then started waiting for Max. Suddenly, Murkrow flew out of nowhere and attacked Grace. She was so happy, but didn't see Max anywhere. Max's Gliscor flew at her and gave her a giant hug. She didn't realize it was Max's, though, because it evolved.

"Gliscor! Murkrow! Stop attacking that girl!" Max yelled after coming downstairs. Then, he returned them to their Pokéballs and realized it was Grace.

"Max! I ran away so I could come to Sinnoh." Grace yelled. Max gave her a big hug. Max told her that May and Dawn had gone to their first contests.

"Okay! Lets get moving… do you know what gym is closest to us?" Grace asked. Max went over to a map.

"It looks like the… Oreburgh City. It's just beyond Jubilife City. Jubilife City is where May and Dawn's first contest is." Max said.

"Oh! I want to compete there, too!" Grace yelled.

Max and Grace started out of Sandgem Town. After walking for a while, they stumbled upon Charlotte, the girl that Max battled before the Battle Frontier.

"Ha! I knew I would find you guys here! I followed you all the way here!" Charlotte laughed.

"You were stalking us at the Battle Frontier?" Max asked in horror.

"Yep! I told you I would get my revenge! I am going to complete every gym and beat you at the Pokémon League!" Charlotte laughed. She showed them that her Cyndaquil evolved into Quilava, and then ran away.

They kept on walking. After two whole days, they reached Jubilife. Grace registered for the contest and started thinking about which Pokémon to use. Max walked down to the Pokémon Center to give his Pokémon a checkup. Nurse Joy, after taking his Pokémon, told Max that there was a call waiting for him. He answered the call.

"Hello Max."

"Hello Prof. Rowan. What do you need?" Max asked.

"Just as you left, I received an Egg Ticket from Prof. Elm. He said to give it to you because you helped him so much with his research on Grass-types." Rowan said.

"What is an Egg Ticket?" Max asked.

"It is a ticket that you can give to a Pokémon Day Care in exchange for an egg. Each ticket has a special code on it that indicates a certain species of Pokémon. I'm not exactly sure what this one is, but after you exchange it, you will find out. Anyway, it will come to you shortly. Go to the nearby PokéMart and there will be a deliveryman with the ticket." Rowan explained.

Max ran to Jubilife's PokéMart and met the deliveryman. The deliveryman handed him the bright blue, shiny ticket. He placed it in a special area of his backpack and went back to the Pokémon Center, ready for the next day and the drama that was sure to come.

*Griffith is based off a Bird Keeper from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

*Key is based off a female Schoolkid from Black and White.

*Tony is based off a Backpacker from Black 2 and White 2.


	30. Sinnoh: Chapter 2

**Platinum: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 2: The Jubilife Life**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max and Grace were waiting in the coordinators' lounge at the Contest Hall. There was some sort of delay, so it was almost dark out. Jayla, May, Dawn, and Cierra were each there. Grace was extremely nervous. May came up to her.

"Here, Grace. When I was in Unova I got you some special Seals." May said kindly, while handing her a small Seal case.

"Thanks so much!" Grace yelled. She opened it up and admired the many Seals inside.

"Grace, I'm going to go ask Cierra which gym she is going to first. Be right back!" Max said as he ran off.

A man with long, purple hair and a green hat came up to Grace. Grace had just put on her Sinnoh Contest attire, a long, blue dress.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing?" the man said.

"Oh, hi! Your hat is cool." Grace said kindly.

" _Why didn't you say 'thank you?'_ " the man said under his breath.

"What was that?" Grace asked.

"Nothing at all… Which Pokémon will you be using in this contest?" the man asked with a scowl.

"No! Grace, don't talk to this creep!" Max yelled as he jumped in front of Grace.

"Oh, if it isn't Ms. Tent's little bro. Protecting your girlfriend?" the man laughed.

"He's not my boyfriend. Who are you anyway?" Grace asked.

"I'm Harley, arch nemesis of May and all of her weird little friends. Speaking of boyfriends, by the way, May's is here?" Harley yelled.

"My sister has a boyfriend?" Max asked in surprise.

"Well, not officially. But Drew followed her all the way from Unova to here. I just came to destroy her, but I think he came to court her." Harley said, walking away.

"Never trust Harley, okay?" Max told Grace. She nodded, still confused from the encounter.

The contest started, so Max ran to get a seat. The judges were Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, Nurse Joy from Jubilife, and the president of the Pokétch Company. There were a few good performances. A girl named Ursula, who Max knew Dawn didn't care for, ran onstage.

"Minun, go!" Ursula yelled. The Seal she used sent out lots of bright blue stars.

Grace, who was in the waiting area, pulled out her Pokédex.

"Minun, the Cheering Pokémon. Minun loves to cheer on its partner in battle. It gives off sparks from its body while it is doing so. If its partner is in trouble, this Pokémon gives off increasing amounts of sparks."

"Minun, use electro kiss!" Ursula yelled.

Minun used sweet kiss, sending a bright pink heart into the air. Minun then used electro ball, which hit the heart and created an explosion. The explosion produced hundreds of little hearts along with electric bolts. The display earned her a 37.8 out of 40. As Ursula walked off and Dawn walked on, Ursula purposefully bumped into her while chuckling.

"Piplup, spotlight!" Dawn yelled. The Seal made what look like a hydro pump attack come out of the ball. Piplup materialized inside the water and then the water all disappeared into an explosion of energy.

Piplup used bubblebeam into the air and then used ice beam to freeze all of the bubbles.

"Dawn did this same routine in the Grand Festival. She didn't get a good score at all!" Grace said in fear to May.

"Piplup, now use drill peck!" Dawn commanded. Grace was surprised that Piplup wasn't going to use pound.

Piplup used drill peck, turning all of the frozen bubbles to dust in seconds. Piplup then used whirlpool, and then headbutt to send the whirlpool up in the air. Piplup used bide. The whirlpool came back down on Piplup's head with full force. Piplup was suddenly pulled into the whirlpool while still using bide.

"Piplup is absorbing as much of the whirlpool's energy as it possibly can!" Marian yelled.

"Now Piplup let it go!" Dawn yelled. Piplup released the energy from its body, creating a bright white sphere that encompassed the entire stage, including Dawn.

The light suddenly vanished, and Piplup and Dawn were in the center of the stage waving, surrounded by sparkling mist from the whirlpool and bubbles. Dawn earned a perfect score!

Cierra was up next. Her Milotic used dragon pulse and surrounded it with aqua ring. This earned Cierra a 39.7. Grace ran onstage next.

"Snorunt, the curtain's up!" Grace said. The Seal shot out icicles that hit the ground and created an explosion. Snorunt jumped out of the explosion.

Max cringed, as Snorunt only knew leer, headbutt, and powder snow. Snorunt created a sphere of snow around it with powder snow. The sphere built up lots of energy, and then exploded into a tornado of snow. The tornado then exploded, making it snow in the entire Contest Hall! The judges gave her a 38.9.

Harley was up next. His Wigglytuff used stealth rock to create four large rock pillars around it. Wigglytuff used double-slap to make each rock spin rapidly. Wigglytuff used psychic to make the rocks go into the air. It jumped into the air and hit the rocks, making it ricochet between all four of the rocks. Wigglytuff stopped the spinning by using psychic and brought all of the rocks back down on the ground. Wigglytuff then destroyed each of the rocks by using rock smash. Harley got a perfect score.

Two people Max didn't know went, and then Drew came on. He put on a great show with his Masquerain's bubble and silver wind attacks. Drew got a perfect score. May's Blaziken made a fiery tornado with firespin and then made it explode with a blaze kick. This earned May a 39.4. After a couple of more people, Jayla went on.

"Cottonee, break a leg!" Jayla yelled. Max pulled out his Pokédex.

"Cottonee, the Cotton Puff Pokémon. When attacked, it escapes by shooting cotton from its body. The cotton serves as a decoy to distract the attacker."

Cottonee used cotton spore, and then fairy wind to make a small pink vortex around itself. Jayla jumped on the vortex and flew up into the air. She received a 36.5. Max wondered who got in to the battle rounds.

It was revealed that eight people were in. Max looked at the screen. In order, it was Dawn, Drew, Harley, Cierra, May, Grace, Ursula, and Jayla. All people that knew each other! Max knew that this would definitely be a great contest. Soon, the matchups came in: May vs. Grace, Dawn vs. Cierra, Harley vs. Ursula, and Jayla vs. Drew. Max was shocked. He didn't know whether to cheer for May or Grace! The first battle started in minutes.

"Beautifly, take the stage!" May yelled. Her Seal looked like a silver wind attack. It was stunning.

"Dustox, the curtain's up!" Grace said. Dustox's Seal looked like a gust attack.

"Beautifly, silver wind!" Max commanded.

"Dustox, use your silver wind as well!" Grace said.

The two silver wind attacks collided. They seemed to be of equal power. Both Pokémon stopped using their silver winds and used tackle on one another. They kept tackling. Still, the attacks were equal!

"Beautifly, keep on fighting." May yelled.

"Stay strong, Dustox!" Grace said nervously.

They were both losing points at equal rates. Grace knew she had to turn this around. Dustox used aerial ace, sending Beautifly flying. Dustox then used electroweb, which finished off Beautifly. Grace won the match against May!

"Good job, Grace! But next time I'll get you!" May laughed.

The next round was Dawn against Cierra. Max knew this would be interesting. Dawn easily beat Venomoth, one of Cierra's most trusted and powerful Pokémon, without taking any damage back in the Petalburg Battle Tournament. He was anxious to see which Pokémon Cierra and Dawn would use against each other this time.

"Quilava, spotlight!" Dawn said. Her Seal was a simple one with red hearts.

"Infernape, let's fight fire with fire!" Cierra yelled. Cierra's Seal was basic white stars.

Infernape ran at Quilava with mach punch, but Quilava dodged and used aerial ace. Infernape was hit badly. Infernape ran at Quilava, getting ready to use bite. Quilava used swift, but Infernape dodged. Quilava was bitten. Quilava broken free and used swift, which sent Infernape flying. Infernape ran back at Quilava, but Quilava used smokescreen. Infernape was caught in the giant cloud of smoke.

"Infernape, get out of there before you suffocate!" Cierra yelled, more agitated than caring.

Infernape jumped out of the top of the smoke. Quilava landed a direct hit with swift. Infernape, while still midair, used blast burn. Quilava narrowly dodged the explosion and used eruption, which sent Infernape into the ground with an explosion. The smoke dissipated, and Infernape jumped out, seemingly okay. A white orb surrounded Infernape's right hand.

"Now, Dawn, I hope you are ready for the grand premier of our latest trick! Infernape, use assist!" Cierra laughed.

Infernape pointed its hand at Quilava. Blue flames came out and hit Quilava hard. Cierra cheered.

"That was my Altaria's dragon breath attack!" Cierra yelled.

"Quilava, we have to win! Put everything you have into another eruption!" Dawn yelled.

"Use blast burn, my dear!" Cierra said.

The two amazingly powerful attacks hit each other and created a ginormous explosion. The explosion hurt both Quilava and Infernape. Suddenly, the timer went off. Dawn and Cierra looked at the screen.

"Dawn is the winner of this intense, fiery battle!" Marian screamed. Dawn hugged her Quilava tightly.

Max was happy for Dawn, yet interested to see Harley and Ursula's battle.

Harley's Cacturne and Ursula's Gabite were a good matchup, but sadly, it didn't take much from Harley to beat it. Max was excited to see Drew and Jayla's battle.

"Okay, Frillish, break a leg!" Jayla yelled.

"Go, Roserade." Drew said.

Frillish used bubblebeam, but Roserade destroyed the bubbles with pin missile. The attack hit hard. Frillish attempted to use shadow ball, but Roserade's solar beam attack destroyed the ball and defeated Frillish.

Max wanted to know more about Roserade, so he pulled out his Pokédex.

"Roserade, the Bouquet Pokémon, and the evolved form of Roselia. With the movements of a dancer, it strikes with whips that are densely lined with poison thorns."

The semifinals matchups were displayed on the main screen: Grace vs. Drew and Dawn vs. Harley. Max wasn't sure that he was fully confident in Grace's abilities versus Drew's. Their battle started.

"Chingling, the curtain's up!" Grace yelled. Chingling's Seal looked like a supersonic attack: waves of sound came from the Pokéball.

"Go, Flygon!" Drew yelled. Flygon's Seal looked like a sandstorm. Max knew this wouldn't end well. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Flygon, the Mystic Pokémon, and the evolved form of Vibrava. Flygon whips up a sandstorm by flapping its wings. The wings create a series of notes that sound like singing. Because the 'singing' is the only thing that can be heard in a sandstorm, this Pokémon is said to be the desert spirit."

Chingling used growl to start things off. Flygon used sonic boom, which damaged Chingling a lot. Chingling used extrasensory, which barely affected Flygon. Flygon used supersonic to confuse Chingling and then used flamethrower to knock it out. Right as Marian was going to call the match, Chingling evolved! Grace pulled out her Pokédex at her new Pokémon.

"Chimecho, the Wind Chime Pokémon, and the evolved form of Chingling. In high winds, Chimecho cries as it hangs from a tree branch or the eaves of a building using a suction cup on its head. This Pokémon plucks berries with its long tail and eats them."

"Yay! New moves! Okay, Chimecho, use takedown attack!" Grace commanded.

Chimecho slammed into Flygon at full force. Flygon used dragon pulse, defeating Chimecho. Grace was very disappointed.

Now it was time for Dawn and Harley's battle. Grace was sure it was going to be great, so she got a nearby seat.

"Go, my cool Banette!" Harley yelled.

"Buneary, spotlight!" Dawn said.

The battle was very intense, but in the end Buneary prevailed. I was Dawn versus Drew! May and Grace were so excited to see the battle.

"Roserade, on stage!" Drew yelled.

"Mamoswine, spotlight!" Dawn said.

Mamoswine used takedown and Roserade used pin missile. It didn't take long for Mamoswine to use ice fang to knock Roserade out. Drew was shocked at the one-hit KO. Everybody in the stadium gasped and then started cheering.

"The Jubilife Ribbon goes to Dawn!" Marian yelled. Dawn received her ribbon and hugged it close to her chest.

Grace was saddened by her loss, but thrilled that she got to experience being one of _eight_ rivals connecting like that in such a competitive way. She knew she had a long way to come to be better than any of them, but she was ready for that journey.


	31. Sinnoh: Chapter 3

**Platinum: Max's Adventure!**

 **Chapter 3: Honey Trees Galore**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own and am not affiliated with the _Pokémon_ anime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form.

Max and Grace walked into Oreburgh. They could practically smell the coal from the mines burning.

"There is a contest here in two days!" Grace yelled, excited.

"I can't wait to battle this gym!" Max screamed.

The two ran to the gym and entered. They looked around and realized that the Gym Leader, Roark, was already battling somebody*. Both sides had each apparently already used two Pokémon. It was Roark's Rampardos versus the girl's Lucario. Grace pulled out her Pokédex.

"Rampardos, the Headbutt Pokémon, and the evolved form of Cranidos. Its skull is as hard as iron. It is a brute that tears down jungle trees while catching prey."

"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. By catching the aura emanating from others, it can read their thoughts and movements."

"Rampardos, use head smash!" Roark yelled.

"Use iron tail, Lucario!" the girl yelled.

The two attacks collided into an explosion. Lucario then used aura sphere on Rampardos and finished it with extremespeed. Roark handed her a Coal Badge.

"Here you are, Elita. You are going to be a great Chosen One! I wish you luck on your journey." Roark said. Elita left.

"Hello, Roark! Can I have a battle?" Max asked.

"Okay. Well, first let my Pokémon recover. How many Pokémon do you have?" Roark asked.

"Two." Max responded.

"Well, you are going to need three. You should go out and catch one." Roark said. Max and Grace looked at each other.

"What's a good place to catch Pokémon around here?" Max asked him.

"Oreburgh Gate has plenty of Rock, Ground, and Poison-types. That's where I catch a lot of my Pokémon. To the east of the city there are plenty of Machop and HootHoot. Oh! Just past Jubilife is the Floaroma Meadow. You can catch plenty of Pokémon there. They are mostly Bug, Normal, and Grass-types, but there are some Steel, Poison, and Fighting-types." He said.

Max decided to go to Floaroma Meadow, but Grace wanted to stay in Oreburgh and train. After almost a day's walk, Max arrived at a small house in a giant field of flowers. There were some trees in the meadow, but not many. Suddenly, Key and Griffith came out of the small house with jars of honey.

"Hey guys!" Max said. He asked why they had honey.

"Well, you can buy honey from this place and then put it on the trees. After a while, some Pokémon will come to eat it and you'll be able to catch them." Key explained.

Max ran inside and bought some honey. There were pictures of all the Pokémon that were recently captured there: Burmy, Rattata, Ledyba, Mothim, Forretress, Aipom, and even a Bayleef. Max ran outside and painted the honey onto the bark of a tree. He walked away slowly and hid in the tall flowers. Suddenly, he heard Key yell.

"A Stunky! I choose you, Drifloon! Use gust on that Stunky!" Key yelled.

Stunky was hit badly, but retaliated with night slash attack. Drifloon used stockpile and then spit up. Key then captured Stunky.

"This will be great to battle Roark!" Key cheered as she ran off.

Max looked back at his tree. Still, nothing. Suddenly, he heard Griffith.

"Come out and fight, Staravia!" Griffith yelled. Colby had a Munchlax on his tree! Max pulled his Pokédex out on Staravia.

"Staravia, the Starling Pokémon, and the evolved form of Starly. They maintain huge flocks, although fierce scuffles break out between various flocks."

Staravia used takedown on the Munchlax. Munchlax used focus punch. Staravia was about to use quick attack, but Munchlax used whirlwind to make Staravia return. Suddenly, Chimchar shot out of its Pokéball.

"Chimchar, don't let Munchlax get away! Use flame wheel." Griffith commanded. Munchlax collided with the flame wheel while using headbutt.

That hurt Munchlax. Chimchar used bite, finishing it. Griffith sent out a Pokéball and captured it. Griffith walked up to Max.

"I challenge you to a rematch. Four days, Eterna Forest, be there." Griffith said as he walked away. Max turned his head to his tree and saw a little Burmy eating.

"Well, its small, but its something. Go, Gliscor!" Max said.

Gliscor used X-scissor, but Burmy used protect without even moving to see Gliscor was there. Burmy flew off the tree and used tackle, which hit Gliscor hard in the face. Burmy then used hidden power, defeating Gliscor. Max was shocked.

Max's Murkrow used nightshade. Burmy used protect and then hidden power. Murkrow dodged and used wing attack. Max threw a Pokéball at it and caught it. He then pulled out his Pokédex to find out more.

"Burmy, the Bagworm Pokémon. To shelter itself from cold, wintry winds, it covers itself with a cloak made of twigs and leaves."

The next day, Max got back to Oreburgh and met with Grace. They went to the gym. The battle started.

"This will be a three-on-three match between Max, the challenger, and Roark, the Gym Leader. The challenger is permitted to substitute Pokémon while the Gym Leader is not. Begin the match!" the referee stated.

"I choose you, Geodude!" Roark yelled.

"Go, Burmy!" Max said.

Burmy used hidden power attack, which sent Geodude flying. Geodude used tackle, but Burmy used protect. Burmy then used tackle, knocking Geodude out. Roark was surprised.

"I have never seen stronger Burmy. But, your luck is about to run out! Onix, come on out!" Roark said.

"Burmy, use tackle!" Max commanded.

"Headbutt, Onix!" Roark said.

The two attacks collided. Onix was hurt a little, but Burmy flew across the field. Burmy got up, but had taken lots of damage.

"Return, Burmy. I choose Murkrow!" Max yelled.

Murkrow used a powerful dark pulse. Onix used tackle. Max had a great idea.

"Onix, use tackle!" Roark said.

"Use perish song." Max said.

Murkrow sent red sound waves at Onix and red static surrounded them both. Onix hit Murkrow with tackle and defeated it. Max sent Burmy back out.

"Headbutt, Onix!" Roark yelled.

"Protect, now!" Max commanded. Burmy protected itself.

Onix used headbutt again, but Burmy used protect once again. Suddenly, the red static appeared on Onix again and it fainted. Roark sent out Rampardos.

"Rampardos, headbutt now!" Roark said.

"Tackle!" Max said.

The two attacks collided, and again, Burmy was sent flying. Luckily, Burmy managed to withstand the attack once again, but it was badly hurt. Max withdrew it.

"I choose you, Gliscor!" Max yelled.

Gliscor used X-scissor, which collided with Rampardos's Zen headbutt. Gliscor used sand-attack and then steel wing. Rampardos used head smash, defeating Gliscor immediately.

Max sent out Burmy again. Burmy was obviously very weak and tired.

"Max, you can do it!" Grace cheered. Max was worried.

Rampardos used head smash, but Burmy protected itself with protect. Burmy used hidden power attack, followed by tackle. Rampardos used flamethrower, but Burmy protected itself again. Burmy finished it with another hidden power.

"Max, you are a great trainer. You have yourself an awesome Burmy. Its not every day that you see a Burmy defeat a Geodude _and_ Rampardos, plus weaken an Onix. You truly have something special. Take this Coal Badge." Roark said.

Max took the badge. Grace and Max walked outside and immediately ran into that girl Elita and her Lucario.

"Hey, Elita! I saw you battle Roark. Your Lucario is so powerful!" Max said.

"Thanks! I have been training him for over five years, since he was just a little orphaned Riolu." Elita said.

"I'm Grace and this is Max. When Roark said you were the Chosen One, what did he mean?" Grace asked.

"That's a long story. I would be happy to explain at the Pokémon Center!" Elita said.

They walked over to the Pokémon Center and sat down. Elita turned to them.

"So what's the story?" Max asked.

"I am from a village that sits in the mountains by Mt. Coronet. A few months before I was born, a village elder predicted that the entire Sinnoh region would be in trouble because of clashes between legendary Pokémon. She also predicted that the next child born in the village would be the one that would be the one to save Sinnoh. Therefore I have to train Pokémon that are powerful enough to defeat legendary Pokémon. I have my Lucario, and I recently caught a Torterra and a Marowak. Also, I usually go by my last name, Litz." Elita explained.

"Why do you go by Litz?" Grace asked.

"Well, the Litz family is one of the ruling families of my village, and I am proud of my heritage. That's why. Oh, I have to go. See you later!" Elita explained.

Later in the day, Grace and Max went to Oreburgh Gate to train. Max saw a Shinx, and decided to capture it. He pulled out his Pokédex to learn more about it.

"Shinx, the Flash Pokémon. Its forelegs have a muscle-based system of generating electricity. Its body shines if endangered."

"That Shinx knows discharge, leer, and iron tail. Okay! Go, Gliscor!" Max yelled.

Gliscor used sand-attack and then X-scissor. Shinx used discharge, but the attack had no effect on Gliscor because of its Ground-type characteristics. Gliscor used dark pulse. While Shinx was weak, Max threw a Pokéball, catching it. Max cheered, but Grace was angry, as she needed to practice.

Later, they went to sleep. Grace was so excited for her contest that she could scream!

*Elita Litz is supposed to look like a female Ace Trainer from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.


	32. Sinnoh: Chapter 4

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"Platinum: Max's Adventure!/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%;" align="center"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"Chapter 4: Oreburgh Ribbon Rampage and the Eterna Forest Fight/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"Disclaimer:/span /strongI do not own and am not affiliated with the em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Pokémon /emanime, the Pokémon Company, or Nintendo in any way shape or form./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"ANNOUNCEMENT: /spanTHIS IS A REBOOT OF THE SERIES! YAY!/strong Okay, so from now on the writing will be slightly better, the names of moves will be capitalized, a few characters will be discontinued (namely Charlotte and to a lesser extent Jayla), and Pokémon will now be restricted to only four moves. strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"BE EXCITED!/strong If anyone has any problems with the reboot just say so. I will listen to your commentary and consider changing some style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Grace waited patiently for the loud speaker to call her to compete in the first round of the contest. The judges were Nurse Joy of Oreburgh, Mr. Sukizo, Mr. Contesta, and Roark. Grace was extremely confident in her Pokémon. None of her rivals were in this contest, and therefore she had nothing to fear. Max watched her opponents from the audience. Soon, the loudspeaker called Grace to the stage./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""The curtain's up! I choose Dustox and Snorunt!"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanGrace yelled. The two Pokémon emerged spinning from their Pokéballs with golden star Seals./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Dustox flew high above Snorunt and used Poison Sting at it. Snorunt reacted quickly with a Powder Snow attack, which turned the Poison Sting into a purple dust. Dustox used Silver Wind, which collided with the dust to make a beautiful tornado. Grace received a score of 37.9!/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Grace fought through two easy battles and faced a boy named Marvis in the finals. Marvis seemed even more confident than Grace! Grace thought he was quite the looker too, and blushed immediately when he looked at her. Grace chose her Pokémon carefully./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Snubbull, Treecko, go!" Marvis yelled. The two small Pokémon came out with pretty blue-and-pink bubble Seals./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""The curtain's up, Chimecho and Wynaut!" Grace yelled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Snubbull used Water Pulse and Treecko used Quick Attack. Chimecho successfully dodged the Water Pulse and Wynaut Countered the Quick Attack./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Chimecho, use a powerful Shock Wave on Wynaut! Wynaut, use Mirror Coat and aim the Shock Wave at Snubbull!" Grace commanded./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"The attack flew from Chimecho to Wynaut. Treecko jumped in front of Snubbull and easily absorbed the attack./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Hah! Checkmate! Grass-types absorb Electric-type attacks quite nicely. Now Snubbull use Lick on Chimecho and Treecko use Pound on Wynaut." Marvis yelled. Grace blushed. She couldn't lose!/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Both attacks made their marks. Grace took a second to think of her next move. Chimecho used Take Down on Treecko, but Snubbull jumped in front of Treecko and used Headbutt. Chimecho went flying. Grace gritted her teeth./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Now lets end this with an electrifying finish! Treecko, use Thunder Punch on Wynaut. Snubbull, use Wild Charge on Chimecho!" Marvis screamed./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Wynaut, Counter! Chimecho intercept with Take Down!" Grace screeched in desperation./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Both of Marvis's Pokémon took damage, although Grace's Pokémon did get shocked quite badly. Both sides lost lots of points. From what Grace could tell, their scores were equal. They had three minutes left./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Snubbull used Water Pulse and Treecko used Rock Slide. Wynaut quickly used Mirror Coat and sent the two attacks back at double the strength. The Water Pulse made both Pokémon wet. Chimecho used a powerful Shock Wave and then finished both Pokémon with Extrasensory./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Grace admired her beautiful ribbon. It was dark grey, the color of coal, symbolizing what the city was known for. She couldn't believe she had her first Sinnoh Contest Ribbon! After a day, they made it to the entrance of Eterna Forest for Max's battle. Soon, Griffith arrived./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""I was here yesterday and found a good clearing for the battle." Griffith said. Grace agreed to be the judge./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""This will be a four-on-four match between Griffith and Max. Both sides can make substitutions. Go!" Grace yelled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Staravia, come out and fight!" Griffith yelled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Go, Murkrow!" Max said./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Murkrow immediately used Dark Pulse, but Staravia acrobatically dodged the attack. Staravia flew high above Murkrow, and Murkrow flew after her. Murkrow used Peck hard on Staravia./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Staravia, Quick Attack and knock Murkrow to the ground!" Griffith yelled in annoyance./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Staravia hit Murkrow hard with Quick Attack and Murkrow started falling to the ground. Max had to think fast./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Murkrow, use Sky Attack and go straight for Staravia!" Max screamed./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Murkrow started glowing a sky blue color and flew swiftly upwards at Staravia. Griffith gritted his teeth and thought./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Intercept with Brave Bird!" Griffith yelled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"The two attacks collided midair, and both Flying-types fell to the ground. Staravia was able to get back up, but Murkrow fainted./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Murkrow is unable to battle!" Grace announced. Max suddenly got nervous./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Well… Then I choose you, Shinx!" Max chanted hopefully./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Return, Staravia. Come out and fight, Munchlax!" Griffith yelled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Use Discharge and give it all you got!" Max said. The attack hit hard./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Munchlax used Metronome, which turned into a Pin Missile. Shinx was able to dodge a few of the large white pins, but was badly hit by the last. Munchlax used Metronome again, which turned into Double Kick. Shinx was badly hit./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Now use Lick!" Griffith commanded./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Munchlax used a strong Lick, which badly hurt Shinx. Suddenly, Shinx evolved! Surprised, Max pulsed out his Pokédex./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Luxio, the Spark Pokémon, and the evolved form of Shinx. By gathering their tails together, they collectively generate powerful electricity from their claws."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Yes! Now Luxio, use Discharge!" Max enthusiastically commanded./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Luxio grunted and used Iron Tail, automatically knocking Munchlax out. Max realized Luxio wasn't listening to him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Yanma, come out and fight!" Griffith said./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Luxio sat down while Yanma was looking ready to fight. Max was concerned./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Luxio, use Iron Tail!" Max said, hoping Luxio would use style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLuxio sat there and did nothing./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Yanma, use Screech and then Night Slash!" Griffith commanded./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"The Screech attack seemed to be just a minor annoyance to Luxio. Yanma's wings turned black and it shot two black projectiles straight at Luxio. Luxio fainted./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I choose you, Gliscor!" Max said./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Gliscor used Poison Tail, but Staravia dodged and used Take Down. The recoil damage on top of the damage from Murkrow hurt Staravia extremely badly. Gliscor used Steel Wing and defeated Staravia. Griffith sent out Yanma./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Yanma used Night Slash. Gliscor was hit hard but then used Poison Sting, but Yanma's Detect allowed it to dodge. Yanma used Quick Attack. When Yanma made contact, Gliscor bit onto its wing and used Fire Fang, knocking it out./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Don't get too cocky! Buizel, come out and fight!" Griffith said./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Buizel used Sonic Boom directly on Gliscor's face. Gliscor hit the ground hard and Buizel used Swift. Gliscor got up and was about to use Steel Wing, but Buizel intercepted with Aqua Jet, knocking Gliscor out immediately. Max was surprised./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Burmy, I choose you!" Max said. Griffith chuckled a little at the small Bug-type./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Buizel, use Icy Wind!" Griffith yelled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Buizel's tails turned bright blue and they started spinning rapidly. A white, snowy tornado flew straight at Burmy./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Burmy, use Protect and follow with a Tackle!" Max screamed./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Burmy protected itself from the Icy Wind then flew at Buizel with a Tackle attack. Buizel intercepted with Aqua Jet. Burmy hit the ground hard and used Hidden Power. Buizel it the Hidden Power attacks with a series of Sonic Booms. Buizel finished Burmy off with an Aqua Jet./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Burmy is unable to battle. This battle goes to Griffith…" Grace said sadly. Griffith returned Buizel, smiled, and then walked away. Max held Bury close./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Max and Grace travelled through the forest and put their Pokémon in the Pokémon Center. The next day, Max and Grace heard a giant explosion come from the forest. Nurse Joy looked scared as she saw what it was. A Scizor was using Flash Cannon on the forest. Grace and Max looked shocked as many Stantler, Budew, and Bidoof ran terrified from the forest. One Bidoof ran to the window of the Pokémon Center and started vocalizing. Max and Grace ran outside, and the Bidoof jumped into Max's arms, crying./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""It's okay. We will make that Scizor stop." Max said. He pulled out his Pokédex to find out what the Bidoof was./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Bidoof, the Plump Mouse Pokémon. It lives in groups by the water. It chews up boulders and trees around its nest with its incisors."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Dustox, the curtain's up! Use Poison Sting on Scizor!" Grace yelled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Gliscor, come on out and use Fire Fang on Scizor!" Max commanded./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Dustox and Gliscor flew at Scizor. Scizor used Razor Wind to knock Gliscor away and Air Slash to hit Dustox. Grace got angry./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Children!" Nurse Joy yelled, "I saw that Scizor the other day. Its trainer abandoned it in the forest, I think. And I think that because it isn't native to the area, it ate some Enigma Berries."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""What are those?" Max asked, activating the Berry Identification section of his Pokédex and typing in the name./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Enigma Berry. A completely enigmatic Berry. It apparently has the power of the stars that fill the night sky."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Yes. Enigma Berries are plentiful in this area, but the Pokémon who are native to the forest know not to eat them. They raise a Pokémon's power so much that the Pokémon don't have any control of their own actions!" Nurse Joy yelled. Bidoof vocalized in agreement./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Joy gave Grace and Max a medication that could reverse the effects of the Enigma Berries. Grace seemed determined to do it./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Dustox flew above Scizor and started spinning while using Silver Wind, creating a Silver Wind tornado. The tornado surrounded Scizor. Dustox then used Confusion to immobilize Scizor and bring it to the ground. Grace fed the medicine to Scizor. Soon, Scizor stood up./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Scizor, don't eat any more Enigma Berries! Be careful now. Maybe you should go back to where you used to live before your old trainer caught you!" Grace said. Scizor nodded and then started flying away. It suddenly stopped and looked back./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Grace, I think Scizor wants to go with you!" Max said./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;""Okay! Go, Pokéball!" Grace yelled as she threw a Pokéball up into the air. Scizor was captured!/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"Soon, Bidoof disappeared! Max was confused, but they all walked back to the Pokémon Center. Grace was so happy that she caught this Scizor!/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;" /p


End file.
